What is art? Many have asked this question over the years.  However in recent years people have been asking this question regarding street art. Street art is a genre of art that is done on the street or private property.  Street art usually consists of paintings using stencils, but more commonly spray-paint.  It also includes almost all other mediums of art now-a-days, such as knitting, tiling, and sculpture.  One of the most famous street artists in the world is Banksy.  Many even consider him as one of the best artists of the 21st century.

            Banksy grew up in Bristol, England, and that is basically all that is known about him.  He has never been caught or captured on camera.  Some people speculate that his first name is Rob or Robin and that his surname is Gunnigham or Banks. People also think that he is a parliament lobbyist, but his true identity has never been discovered. The fact that his identity is unknown adds to how great of an artist he is.   How could he not get caught when he has hung his own art inside some of the world’s greatest museums like the Louvre and Tate Modern? Or even when he snuck inside of zoo enclosures to write messages such as “We’re bored with fish” inside of a penguin exhibit?  It’s a mystery.

            Half of Banksy’s art is comical and satirical, such as stenciling pictures of Queen Elizabeth II as a lesbian or cops doing things that they are not supposed to do. He has also gone to such extremes as stealing 500 copies of Paris Hilton’s CD and changing her song names and titles to names such as “Why am I famous?”  The majority of Banksy’s work is also very political and controversial.  He commonly uses anti-war, anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, anti-imperialism, anarchism, nihilism, homosexuality and statements about art and graffiti as themes.  Two of his most controversial works are not even stencils.  One is a blowup doll dressed up like a Guantanamo Bay detainee that he placed inside of Disneyland’s Big Thunder Railroad.  Another is a ninety second intro for the television shows The Simpsons that displayed the harshness of Asian sweatshops.  It was a statement to how The Simpsons animation chores are largely outsourced to South Korea sweatshops. Gail Pepe, an art teacher at Ipswich High School, explains, “My favorite piece is the one of the classic British telephone booths that has been bent in half and it is lying on a sidewalk.  There is blood dripping out of it and there is a axe also sticking out of it.” Whether you are offended or laugh at Bansky’s art, it is hard to forget it.

            Some say Banksy has sold out throughout the years.  “He has to make a living.”  Both Gail Pepe and Eli Thomas agreed.  He has resorted to selling his art inside of galleries and in art shows. He has sold many of his pieces for high prices such as £67,000 and many celebrities such as Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera have purchased his artwork.  He has released a book Walls and Pieces and in 2010 he released a documentary called Exit Through the Gift Shop.  It follows a man named Thierry Guetta as he films street artists and eventually Banksy.  He then becomes an artist himself and holds an art show that sells over a million dollars worth of art.  This art show confuses Banksy, but in the end Thierry says, “time will tell if he is a real artist or not.”  The documentary was nominated for “Best Documentary” in the 2010 Academy Awards. Although, It did not win, it received great reviews.  Some call the movie a hoax, claiming that Thierry is a fictional character and the art show was really all Banksy in the end.  “The whole movie is a great prank,” said Eli Thomas who himself is a huge Banksy fan.