Banksy started out as a graffiti writer in 1992, and this pseudonym has since achieved a level of fame unprecedented for a street artist. His film, Exit through the Gift Shop (2010), was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2015, he organized Dismaland, “a festival of art, amusements, and entry-level anarchism” in a disused lido, which brought in an estimated 150,000 visitors. Originally a member of Bristol’s DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ), Banksy began using stencils to save time, and found that they allowed him to produce more complex images combining naturalistic and stylized elements. Banksy’s mature works are characterized by a playfully anti-establishment, anti-consumerist message, and often interact with existing architectural features, street furniture, and other graffiti. Monkeys, rats, policemen, children, and senior citizens appear repeatedly, as do a range of iconoclastic slogans and jokes. His work has frequently stirred up controversy and commands high prices at auction.
