Ai... i think you have Zorro and Banksy mixed up....

Because he's worth lots



In the early days, Banksy artistic offerings like the consumerism at xmas christ with shopping bags was a great take on what christmas today is all about.

People thought the same but his image put it in a nutshell and did it the best.

He was seen as some sort of Robin Hood vandal posting messages in stencils on the streets sticking two fingers up to the law and apathy today.

People bought the images to display on their walls to their friends as if to say to themselves. "i'm Banksy" because I have one one my wall knowing that "buy" supporting him that they were safe at home being while Banksy was out doing the stuff for them.

Banksy is cool, he's a rebel, and i'm a rebel too because I have a Banksy on my wall.



Today people still look at Banksy in the same way.



It's hard for anyone or rebel who makes graffiti to get even one line in a mainstream newspaper or news on tv without having a well paid PR team behind them plus contacts in the press and journalism.

People like Banksy today it seems because they have invested in his art and are making money from it.

Same reason why people buy Brainwash etc.

People are not stupid and can see the non talent taht Brainwash is but as long as there is a market for his prints, people will always find something good to say about Brainwash.

Same goes for Banksy who gets the most hype in the mainstream.

How far Banksy will evolve artistically depends on him and what he wants to do artistically.

If he decides it's more important to use art to prmote a political agenda (for some) he will always have people who use it to say what a genius, raising awareness about issues that most people are allready aware of.

Looking at Jo Brooks twitter timeline, genius seems to be a standard word used to hype various artists

I like the statements he makes with his art. However, artistically (in terms of actual execution) other artists are miles better, but I'll still aim to add a Banksy to my collection, although I like his earlier stuff better. I don't agree with buying something and packing it away in a portofolio somewhere. As far as I am concerned art is there to be enjoyed on walls. It can still be an investment if it's framed properly using the right materials.

I don't disagree, but that said there are a lot of people who bought early works simply because they liked them and that was their first introduction to "urban art". I'm sure most of us know someone who simply whacked the print in any old frame or simply stuck it straight to the wall with tape, taking care to wipe off the beer stains and smooth out the creases first ..... Every stain tells a story and they still hang proud

That said in a market where Banksy is low in readily "affordable" supply and high in demand, there are an awful lot of non-Banksy "stored flat" /"minty fresh" condition prints which equally are arguably bought as investments and will never make the wall. I use the term "investment" broadly, to cover trading for other works.

People want what they cannot have. 
A tremendous amount of time and effort went into building the Banksy brand. The rise of the "mysterious" Banksy was not an accident, nor the result of some artistic skill unseen in others. It was a brilliant bit of strategy, marketing, and PR that made everyone go gaga. That's why purchasing new prints and original Banksy works has achieved an almost mythical and ultimately unattainable status.

Simple rule of show business: Always leave them wanting more.

je ne comprends pas

You see Coach, it is about acquisition and failure to acquire. That is why printed editions are numbered and people don't particularly appreciate it when an artist releases more prints outside the original edition. Stakeholders in any particular artist want to know (or at least think) their investment is secure. If it was about the art, and only the art, all editions would be open. 

The Banksy brand did not invent this system, but did update and master it for the 21st century. 

Investment ... stakeholders ... Yuk
I was perhaps not answering the same question as you. I was expressing what I like about Banksy.
It seems that our interest is quite different.

Technically Banksy's works are quite simple. If you're average on design software and have the patience to cut stencils it's a piece of cake. Banksy is all about concepts, ideas, inteligent humor. And that makes him great.

Idisagree with this, as banksy prints were on the whole of a similar edition size with the same split from the early prints where prints were available for several years from POW right up to the LA editions selling out in seconds, but for much less than market prices would dictate, keeping editions at least thoretically available to anyone able to snag one and afford a couple hundred quid. The early runs were printed and split into signed / unsigned long before they even knew if an image would sell.

I was lucky enough to buy most of my collection back when you could pick and choose images, generally opting to buy two different unsigned prints rather than one signed... Got some great images on my walls, more than 10 years later, i still love the sentiment of each piece, comfortable images that resonate an antiesteblishmant humour. Its a shame money seems to be the main driving factor for banksy enjoyment these days.

You see, if people can't afford a banksy print, and I suspect a large number of people on here can't, then you don't really care if his work goes up or down in value. You are left with the aesthetics. The enjoyment of his shows, his street work, his capers and mischief.

Yes Coach, but they WANT it, and then they want it to go up in value. Whether it is an Imbecile balloon, a tshirt, or a paper fish in a bag.

Yes Mouser, we'll agree to disagree. You saw those 2007-2009 queue-ups at POW as an unintended clusterf**k, I saw them as a calculated PR move to drive up the attention and illustrate the hysteria Banksy was commanding. And let's face it, many, if not the majority of those who queued for prints did so because they knew they could resell them for much more than they initially paid. Again, not an accident to price those prints so far below "market value." Nor was it a way for Banksy to reward his "true fans" with affordable art. It was well known by POW that a clusterf**k would ensue from the way they released those editions, and the subsequent flipping of those prints would be good in terms of driving up the value of the Banksy brand.

Bravo to them!

Oh dear!