Banksy

Banksy Art Up For Auction

A piece of art that controversial artist Banksy created for Greenpeace will be sold at Bonhams London along with other of his work at the Urban Art auction on January 11. The piece, which was created for Greenpeace's Save or Delete campaign to draw attention to deforestation, features characters from Disney's The Jungle Book bound, blindfolded and facing an executioner against a backdrop of ravaged tree stumps. The piece was printed but never put into circulation because of the "protectionist policies at Disney." The piece is estimated at £60,000 - 80,000, the unique piece (lot 67) and was given to the vendor by the artist himself. The sale also features many other Banksy works at a variety of price points. Prices for Banksy have continued to rise in recent years and the success of his now-Oscar-buzzed documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, has only contributed to his fame.

Banksy didn't earn the catalog cover, that honor went to American artist Shepard Fairey whose 'Peace Goddess on Wood', 2008 is estimated at £8,000 - 12,000. Other sale highlights include a performance piece by American graffiti artist, Futura 2000, forThe Clash's Combat Rock tour. Futura 2000 was commissioned to paint the stage backdrop for The Clash whilst they performed. The piece is estimated at £15,000 – 20,000, and is believed to be the only work to have survived from the gigs.

[via Art Daily]

Tags: banksy, shepard fairey, urban art

Banksy's Latest Coup: Exit Through the Gift Shop

by Ariston Anderson (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping, Art

What would cause the world's most elusive and most illustrious street artist to make a film with never before seen insights into his own life? To get back at a man who used his name and took advantage of his friendship of course. The art world is abuzz with the latest work from the genius that is Banksy, Exit Through the Gift Shop.While the film is not about Banksy, as the hype would have you believe, it's worth seeing for the rare footage into both Banksy's physical and mental studio.

To tell you straight off, you're not going to see Banksy in the film. You're going to see a hooded figure, face blurred and voice disguised, that may or may not be Banksy, embedding the narration with signature Banksy quips. The most revealing clue into who Banksy is, who some sources peg as Robin Gunningham, is a wedding ring on a male hand, shown when the artist is at work. And that Banksy has a team of assistants, any one of whom could have played Banksy in the film, to help produce the massive work. But trying to peg the identity of Banksy is of course not the point of the film.

What you are going to see is a giant art world hoax surrounding amateur filmmaker, Thierry Guetta, turned amateur artist, Mister Brainwash. There's no information given on how involved Bansky was in the actual filmmaking, although by putting his name on the resulting work, it's clear he directed the narrative into a con story, a con named Mister Brainwash.

Thierry Guetta was a successful L.A. storekeeper who lived with a camcorder glued to his hand. After years of recording his day-to-day life, he stumbled upon something worth filming after visiting his cousin, the Atari-cum-mosaic inclined street artist Space Invader. He followed him for years, leading to his entry into the underground scene, filming the movement's multitude of stars: Swoon, Neckface, Poster Boy, Zevs, and Shepard Fairey. After failing to get any ins toward the most coveted subject of them all, Banksy, Guetta's luck changed when Fairey rang him up one day. Banksy was in L.A. and needed someone to show him around. Following his guidance into where to paint in L.A., Guetta gained Banksy's trust and friendship. As Banksy's entourage didn't contain a more worthy photographer, he began bringing Guetta into his more outlandish stunts, for posterity's sake, including the installation of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner inside Disneyland.

Tags: Angelina Jolie, Banksy, Brad Pitt, damien hirst, film, LA, London, mister brainwash, Neckface, Shepard Fairey, street art, Swoon, Theirry Guetta, Zevs

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Artists to Watch in 2010

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

What does 2010 have in store for the art market? Well, it's starting to look like this is the year the market will finally (begin to) recover, though there could be some trepidation at points. Better pieces are coming under the gavel, and serious collectors are interested in artists with real track records. As things loosen up, emerging artists and those just past that stage (think Ben Krell for the former and Nelson Diaz for the latter) will start to see better conditions, as the logjam in the auction houses, once broken, should ease the pressure on galleries and also lead to some progress in private sales. Basically, the return of liquidity to the art market will be better for everyone.

Almost everyone.

This year, some artists won't enjoy as much of the recovery (if it happens ... just to hedge our bets) as others. Their prices were run up too quickly, making the subsequent fall severe. These artists, auction darlings who don't have the history or potency of a Lucian Freud or even a Richard Prince. Yet, they shot out of the emerging artist category years ago. In 2010, these artists, including Damien Hirst and Jeff Koons, will occupy something of a purgatory, as the art market resets values through upward bidding, now that the decks have been washed clean.

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Tags: art auction, art auctions, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, ArtMarket, banksy, BanksyGraffiti, basquiat, china, damien hirst, DamienHirst, england, francis bacon, FrancisBacon, jean-michel basquiat, Jean-michelBasquiat, Jeff Koons, JeffKoons, london, lucian freud, LucianFreud, phillips de pury, PhillipsDePury, richard prince, RichardPrince, sothebys

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Accidental Destruction of Banksy Art

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

The Hackney Council of Stoke Newington, England just made a big mistake: it painted over a mural featuring a spoof image of the Royal Family by graffiti artist Banksy. The owner of the building on which the mural was painted, Sofie Attrill, agreed to have the mural painted so it could be used on the cover of the band Blur's 2003 single Crazy Beat. And for six years, it sat there, attracting plenty of attention.

When she saw the Banksy artwork partially covered in black paint, however, Attrill was moved to tears – a feeling ostensibly made worse by the fact that the workers were smiling as they covered the (once) priceless creation. Working with a crowd that had gathered, Attrill was able to get the painters to stop before they covered the mural completely.

The Hackney Council claimed to have had permission because it sent letters to Attrill and received no reply. Then, it sent an enforcement notice and again heard nothing. Unfortunately, they sent them to an address she used 25 years ago.

At first, the Hackney Council offered no apology. When it realized its error, though, it began to talk to Attrill about ways to resolve the situation.

[Photo of the Stoke Newington mural unavailable]

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Tags: art, artist, artwork, banksy, banksygraffiti, england, mural, muralprojects, murals, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom

In an Art Slump, Graffiti is Free

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

When times are tough, you don't spend when you don't have to. There's sufficient graffiti in London to keep art collectors entertained, which is causing them to shy away from works by Banksy. Larger auction houses have cut down on the Banksy works they are carrying, and some of the regional auction houses are canceling their urban art specialist sales.

It's hard to tell if Banksy is disappointed. The artist, who was born in Bristol (west England) keeps his (her?) identity a secret. So, if you see some weirdo crying in a corner over the next few weeks at a pub in Bristol (or, maybe, London), ask if it's Banksy. It could be cooler than finding Waldo.

Prices for pieces by Banksy have plunged this year, with failure rates on the rise. Auction houses are now sufficiently nervous to hedge their bets, carrying little (or no) inventory by the artist and canceling auctions that may not deliver.

In general, contemporary art auction selling points are down 30 percent to 50 percent – about as much as your 401(k). The top houses – Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams and Phillips de Pury – didn't carrying any of Banksy's work in their June or early July auctions. This year, 76 Banksy paintings and prints have come under the gavel, with 30 of them (almost half) not selling. The highest price reached was $230,500 at a New York Sotheby's event. Last year, the top price for a Banksy piece was $1.9 million at Sotheby's RED charity auction in February.

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Tags: art, art auction, art auctions, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, artist, ArtMarket, artwork, auction, auction-house, auctionhouse, auctions, banksy, banksy graffiti, BanksyGraffiti, bonhams, bonhams auction, bonhamsauction, bristol, christies, england, london, phillips de pury, PhillipsDePury, sothebys

Banksy's Kate Moss Prints Up For Sale Again

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Kate Moss is back on the block at Bonhams Urban Art auction in London later this month. Banksy's images of Kate Moss as Marilyn Monroe are up for sale again. The six prints, each one signed and dated in pencil and numbered 02/20 are estimated to sell for : £100,000 - 150,000 and will be for sale on February 24. Banksy's prints of Moss as the modern Marilyn sold for £96,000 at the Bonhams Urban Art auction in February 2007 and a set of the six prints sold for around $94,000 back in 2006. Will the prints experience a similar upward bounce this year? I'd say these will come in for the low end of the estimate or maybe even below it despite the ongoing popularity of Kate Moss as art muse.

[via Vogue UK]

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Tags: art, auction, banksy, kate moss, KateMoss

Banksy Works Fail to Sell at Auction

by Tracy Chait (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Banksy, the British graffiti artist who remains semi-anonymous, had five of his works at a Lyon and Turnbull auction in London over the weekend. None of them sold.

Part of the problem stemmed from Banksy's refusal to claim the work as his own. Banksy has a history of stating that street art should remain in its places of origin, and this group of pieces had been moved. In the past the controversial artist's work has earned double the expected auction price.

[via The New York Times]

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Tags: auction, banksy, graffiti, street art, StreetArt

Kate Moss, Pop Art Muse

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

In terms of pop art, Kate Moss is definitely a successor to Marilyn Monroe as a most used (or perhaps overused) icon. Banksy's prints of Moss as the modern Marilyn sold for £96,000 at the Bonham's Urban Art auction in February (a set of the six prints sold for around $94,000 back in 2006). Now the Helium Foundation, is releasing a complete portfolio of all six Kate prints for sale. The Helium Foundation hasn't released pricing information on the prints but there is a limited edition of 20 sets. Is Kate a sound investment? It would certainly seem so currently, pictures of Kate Moss by a variety of artists have commanded high prices in several auctions. Check out the gallery below for a few sample of Kate as an art muse.

[via Vogue UK]

Gallery: Kate Moss in Art

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Tags: art, banksy, kate moss, KateMoss

Banksy Auction Sets Record

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Even though Angelina Jolie paid nearly $400,000 for a few pieces from the graffiti artist Banksy last month in Los Angeles, his works have never reached a price that high at conventional auctions. But the prices are creeping up as his works gain a wider audience. At a Sotheby's auction in London, a set of six pictures of Kate Moss, done in the style of Andy Warhol, sold for about $94,000 (£50,400) and a sketch of the Mona Lisa, "sprayed green and with paint dripping from her eyes," went for almost £109,000 (£57,600). The prices were much more than double their estimates, setting new records at auction for the artist's work.

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Tags: art, artist, auction, banksy, kate moss, mona lisa

Angelina Buys Banksy Art in LA

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

At guerilla artist Banksy's Los Angeles show this week, Angelina Jolie spent nearly $400,000 on three pieces. One painting, called Picnic, shows a "white family of four lunching under an umbrella while 15 starving Africans look on," and another is a portrait of a man who was hit in the head with a pie. The last item was a "bullet-ridden bust." Picnic alone cost $226,000, while the other two pieces sold for $75,000 each.

You can see a photo of Picnic on Flickr, as well as more photos from the exhibition.

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Tags: angelina jolie, AngelinaJolie, art, art show, artist, banksy, graffiti

Christina Aguilera Buys A Banksy

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Celebrity Shopping

The pop artist Christina Aguilera has just dropped £25,000 - that's about $43,500 - on a painting by the British graffiti artist Banksy. The painting shows the late Queen Victoria, who passed anti-homosexual laws and "famously believed women were incapable of being gay", depicted as a lesbian. Victoria, clad in stockings and garter belt, is painted in a compromising position with another woman. Aguilera plans to display the controversial painting in her home.