Banksy Does New York
December 2, 2007- December 29, 2007
Reception: December 2, 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm
502 W 27th St
BANKROBBER GALLERY, London, in collaboration with VANINA HOLASEK GALLERY, are pleased to
present for the first time in New York, an exhibition of works by Banksy, on view from December 2nd
through December 29th, 2007.
Laughing all the way to the Banksy. Think you haven’t heard of Banksy? Think you don’t know who he
is? Let us remind you; whilst others spray their names, Banksy paints pictures, pictures that have
made Banksy a household name. He is the most controversial and downright interesting graffiti artist
at large in the UK today and the chances are that you have already heard of, or seen some of his work,
smiled and moved on. Variously described as a "guerrilla artist", an "art terrorist" or - by those of a more
prosaic turn of phrase - as a "prankster" Banksy is someone for whom celebrity is anathema. So much
so that he has never let the world know his real name - and he has never even posed for a photograph.
And yet everybody is talking about him…he is unknown but his work is unmistakable.
He’s the maniac who got on the news for managing to smuggle one of his pieces of art into Tate Britain
and embarrassed everyone because nobody seemed to notice…He’s the wit behind the stencilled
“Mind the Crap” writing that appeared overnight on the steps to Tate Modern. He is the prankster who
smuggled 500 alternative copies of the Paris Hilton CD into record stores. He is the subversive who
placed a life-size replica of a Guantanamo Bay detainee in Disneyland. He’s the jester who gave LA a
painted elephant. He is the trickster whose hoax cave painting of a man pushing a supermarket trolley
sat in the British Museum unnoticed for three days. He is the infiltrator who disguised as a pensioner
hung his perfectly framed pieces in the Metropolitan, MOMA, Brooklyn Museum and his "dead beetle
with glued on sidewinder missiles and satellite dish" had pride of place in the Museum of Natural
History NYC. Get the picture, get this. Banksy images are even being used to sell 900k condos in
Williamsburg.
Is Banksy the new Warhol? Following record auction sales of both Warhol and Banksy, critics have
examined the similarities in both aesthetic and content between the two artists, their interest in celebrity
culture, and their examination of social values. Like Warhol, Banksy has become a darling of the
stars, with his works gracing the homes of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Jude Law, Damien Hirst, Kate
Moss, Robbie Williams. Banksy is undoubtedly a major player in terms of advancing the envelope of
what art is with the result that over the past several years, his art has escalated in value faster than
pretty much any substance known to man.
He is a visionary, the leader of a new artistic movement and the anonymous poster boy for free speech.
Come and see what all the fuss is about.
Books and DVDs related to artists in this show| Location | map | | Gallery | Vanina Holasek Gallery | | Address | 502 W 27th St New York (Chelsea) NY, 10001 United States | | Phone | 212-367-9093 | | Fax | 212-691-5195 | | Hours | Tue-Sat 10-6 | |
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