Banksy
Materials Sandblasted glass, bronze, laser-cut steel, and wood
Collection Regina and Corey Hampson, Bloomfield Hills, MI
Who is Banksy? Recently I had a discussion with a French contemporary cultural historian, Celia Sauvage, who specializes in British and American themes. We got on the subject of Banksy and the numerous attempts to unmask this world-renowned political graffiti artist. Is Banksy a man, a woman, or a collective? We both decided that we really did not want to know, this mystery was indeed part of the art.
The fact is that the imagery and the poignancy of the political statements are what have pushed Banksy to the forefront of contemporary art, not who did it. In that regard, as a young artist I decided not to sign my work because I had observed that in museums people spent more time looking at signatures and labels than they did looking at the art.
I hope that this piece piques your interest in Banksy’s work, and you discover the many wonderful pieces that have been selflessly created on walls all over the world without
thought as to compensation.