BANKSY

Banksy is an anonymous British graffiti artist. No one knows for sure who he is. People believe he is from Bristol, England, and was born in the 1970s. He has been making graffiti since the late 1980s, but he has become internationally famous within the last ten years.

Many of Banksy’s pieces are political or social commentary. He criticizes what he thinks is wrong with society.

As Banksy has become more famous, he produces more work that is less like traditional graffiti and more like art. He has even had several exhibitions.

For example, he makes paintings, like this one, and puts them in famous museums without anyone noticing. Sometimes he re-paints famous images with slight changes to make a political or social statement.

Some people steal Banksy’s work, and sell it for a lot of money. But Banksy thinks art should be about expression, not making money. In 2010 Banksy made a documentary, called Exit Through the Gift Shop, about the corruption of street art for profit. It was nominated for an Oscar.

Banksy has made graffiti all over the world, in many major cities. Some of his most famous graffiti he made in the West Bank, on a wall that separates the Palestinian states from Israel.

Often, Banksy’s work is destroyed because graffiti is illegal. Many places in England are committed to painting over Banksy’s work because they believe graffiti causes crime. In other places, they preserve Banksy’s work because they think it is art. What do you think?