What is the Best Banksy Print from a Artistic Perspective?, by thehatshop143 on Mar 26, 2015 5:55:42 GMT 1,

Mar 26, 2015 1:29:33 GMT 1 Howard Johnson said:

I joined this forum a few months back as I entered the traitorous world of Banksy collecting. I'm very thankful, as this place is a fantastic resource for a new collector and a lot of you have been extremely helpful.

Learning about the market with very fresh eyes I'm noticing that there is a bit of a disconnect between pricing and the artistic merit in Banksy's body of work. Some of "holy grails" so to speak lack the depth and nuance as other lower end pieces. I came across an old thread where members where discussing the worst banksy prints and CYW, Nola, Kate Moss and Pulp Fiction were repeatedly mentioned yet are some of the highest priced works. Obviously, there is a ton of factors that go into market pricing and the vast majority of his pieces are at the very least visually appealing. It got me thinking, what do people consider to be his best work on from a purely artistic perspective (image/execution)? 

For me, its hands down "Flags." In my humble opinion, that image is so powerful and nuanced that it overshadows the rest of his commercial work by comparison. Whether you interpret it as a glorification of the American dream by those who realistically can't achieve it, or an anti-war image that depicts an America so obsessed with war that it chooses to value death and destruction over providing for its lower class, I think it maintains a power and relevance that will only grow as time goes on. Plus, while the paper stock is admittedly lacking, the execution serves to bolster and enhance the image and message. The grainy black ink against a stark silver sets forth creates a grainy mechanical atmosphere that perfectly represents the proletariat. 

Obviously, this is just my (biased) opinion but I'd love to hear what you all think on the matter.  What prints do you think are artistically the most fascinating, and why do you hold this belief? 

*For the record, I don't mean to bash any of the prints listed above. Artwork doesn't need to be deep or thought provoking in order to be cherished or culturally relevant. 

In my humble, meaningless opinion, Banksy's best work is whatever moves you the most, whether it be aesthetically, satirically, subversively or any visceral reaction. Just like any artist for that matter. Personally, Trolleys is his masterpiece and I own several variations of it. Flags is probably my least favorite. I say this not as a dig by any means ... our eyes are our visual taste buds. Whoever invented cilantro should be incarcerated for life without parol. Sort of like Alec Monopoly. I think that "commercially" speaking, his more popular images are Girl w Balloon, Love is in the Air, Bomb Hugger, Laugh Now, Nola, Flying Copper. Barcode too. I wouldn't pay a dollar for Kate Moss or Choose Your Weapon, but that doesn't mean I still don't love Banksy. One has to appreciate the body of work and artist's message as a whole ... Banksy is a pioneer, a renegade. Just like any music artist, I'm sure you love some albums as a whole but always fast forward over a particular song. And before my ADHD leads me to further meaningless pontification, to answer your question, Trolleys represents my love for Africa and its destruction by materialism and commercialism. Ironically, I over paid for them. Last laugh is on me. Thanks for the post.

Mar 26, 2015 1:29:33 GMT 1 Howard Johnson said:

I joined this forum a few months back as I entered the traitorous world of Banksy collecting. I'm very thankful, as this place is a fantastic resource for a new collector and a lot of you have been extremely helpful.

Learning about the market with very fresh eyes I'm noticing that there is a bit of a disconnect between pricing and the artistic merit in Banksy's body of work. Some of "holy grails" so to speak lack the depth and nuance as other lower end pieces. I came across an old thread where members where discussing the worst banksy prints and CYW, Nola, Kate Moss and Pulp Fiction were repeatedly mentioned yet are some of the highest priced works. Obviously, there is a ton of factors that go into market pricing and the vast majority of his pieces are at the very least visually appealing. It got me thinking, what do people consider to be his best work on from a purely artistic perspective (image/execution)? 

For me, its hands down "Flags." In my humble opinion, that image is so powerful and nuanced that it overshadows the rest of his commercial work by comparison. Whether you interpret it as a glorification of the American dream by those who realistically can't achieve it, or an anti-war image that depicts an America so obsessed with war that it chooses to value death and destruction over providing for its lower class, I think it maintains a power and relevance that will only grow as time goes on. Plus, while the paper stock is admittedly lacking, the execution serves to bolster and enhance the image and message. The grainy black ink against a stark silver sets forth creates a grainy mechanical atmosphere that perfectly represents the proletariat. 

Obviously, this is just my (biased) opinion but I'd love to hear what you all think on the matter.  What prints do you think are artistically the most fascinating, and why do you hold this belief? 

*For the record, I don't mean to bash any of the prints listed above. Artwork doesn't need to be deep or thought provoking in order to be cherished or culturally relevant. 

In my humble, meaningless opinion, Banksy's best work is whatever moves you the most, whether it be aesthetically, satirically, subversively or any visceral reaction. Just like any artist for that matter. Personally, Trolleys is his masterpiece and I own several variations of it. Flags is probably my least favorite. I say this not as a dig by any means ... our eyes are our visual taste buds. Whoever invented cilantro should be incarcerated for life without parol. Sort of like Alec Monopoly. I think that "commercially" speaking, his more popular images are Girl w Balloon, Love is in the Air, Bomb Hugger, Laugh Now, Nola, Flying Copper. Barcode too. I wouldn't pay a dollar for Kate Moss or Choose Your Weapon, but that doesn't mean I still don't love Banksy. One has to appreciate the body of work and artist's message as a whole ... Banksy is a pioneer, a renegade. Just like any music artist, I'm sure you love some albums as a whole but always fast forward over a particular song. And before my ADHD leads me to further meaningless pontification, to answer your question, Trolleys represents my love for Africa and its destruction by materialism and commercialism. Ironically, I over paid for them. Last laugh is on me. Thanks for the post.