Archive for October, 2008
You are currently browsing the Banksy Posters blog archives for October, 2008.
31
Oct
2008
Banksy’s One Million Pound Pub!
A derelict pub in Liverpool has become the centre of a bidding frenzy, thanks to the huge mural of Banksy Graffiti, which adorns the side of the building.
The Banksy piece shows a Giant Rat toting a machine gun and the anonymous artist completed the artwork back in 2004 and it has since become the subject of many Banksy Posters and prints.
The Whitehouse Pub is currently listed for £495K but experts believe that the gun-happy Rat, the biggest Banksy mural in Britain, might be worth as much a million pounds!
If anyone fancies going in on buying a Banksy with a pub thrown in, please contact us at Banksy Posters ASAP!
29
Oct
2008
Cream of Banksy Value Soup
Perhaps times are hard, but this did not stop a bidder at the Bonham’s sale in London from buying the Banksy Oil Canvas “Tesco Value Tomato Soup”, for $193K.
The piece had originally been estimated to sell for $131K, so a nice mark up for the owner!
The canvas is a pastiche of Warhol “Campbell Soup” and a firm favourite here at Banksy Posters.
Nearly a third of other works at the art sale failed to sell, although other Banksy Graffiti sold, proving that the anonymous artist’s works are as popular as ever.
24
Oct
2008
Is Banksy Art proof of Dumbing Down?
If we need more evidence that the world is dumbing down, after the pick of Sarah Palin for Vice President, then perhaps the recent poll, which showed more people recognise Banksy’s iconic Kate Moss Andy Warhol tribute than Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, is further evidence.
The set of six silk-screen prints of Kate Moss, a favourite at Banksy Posters, set a record in 2006 when they sold for $100K, the highest amount received at an auction at the time.
Perhaps this poll is evidence of dumbing down, or maybe people are more familiar with a modern painting of a supermodel who gets a slightly more of the media spotlight than an ambiguous sitter in a 16th century oil painting!
22
Oct
2008
Banksy rising over New York?
I just found this short video on TMZ, the celebrity gossip and news website, of someone who might be Banksy, painting a mural in New York’s East Village.
It’s a shame that you can’t really see the mural, let alone Banksy himself, so we can find out if this really is Banksy caught in the act!
Here at Banksy Posters, we’re keeping an open mind!
To see someone painting a mural in New York, that may or may not be Banksy, the link is below:
http://www.tmz.com/2008/10/21/banksy-strikes-again/
20
Oct
2008
Cans Festival London
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I found this great video from the Cans Festival in London.
We really wish we could have made it there, it looked amazing, but at least here at Banksy Posters we now have the next best thing!
17
Oct
2008
Times up for Banksy Piece in London?
Stalwart officiates and jobsworth’s at Westminster Council in London have sadly turned their attentions to one of the finest pieces of Banksy Graffiti he painted this year.
The piece, “One Nation under CCTV”, an obvious comment on the disquieting fact that Great Britain is currently the most watched society on earth, went up in April this year.
The work features a child on a ladder painting “One nation under CCTV” whilst a security guard with a guard dog photographs the juvenile artist. Comically, to the right of the piece is an actual CCTV camera.
Now Council Planners have deemed the piece an eyesore and have decided that it will only encourage other graffiti artists and “vandals” to spray their works across London. It seems these bright sparks believe that if you take down one piece of Banksy Art, it will dissuade all other Graffiti Artists!
For anyone who wishes to go and visit the artwork before the gray ghosts of London get their way, it’s at Newman Street near Oxford Circus.
For everyone else, the classic piece is bound to appear on numerous Banksy Posters and Prints, as it really is one of Banksy’s most impressive pieces.
15
Oct
2008
Educating Banksy
When Talia Findlay’s Father bought her a painting for her birthday, it cost him the princely sum of $500 and since then its worth has rocketed to a potential $120K – not a bad return!
The painting was a piece of Banksy Art (Monkey Detonator) and when Talia’s Father purchased it he had no idea of its worth or how much it would fetch eight years later.
The painting was featured in the third exhibition by Banksy, long before the anonymous artist rose to his current heights of fame – way before his works were featured in Art Galleries and tacked up as Banksy Posters in Student Dorms.
Until recently, the painting hung on Mrs Findlay’s wall but now its found its way into an auction house and is expected to fetch anywhere between $80-120K when its featured in an Urban Art Sale due to take place on the 14th October.
Mrs Findlay entered the piece to see what it would fetch and was shocked and surprised to learn of the pieces value and is putting the money from the Auction to go towards the education of her two young sons.
14
Oct
2008
How to find Banksy Graffiti in London
I just found a brief piece which included an interview with Martin Bull, author of the snappily titled “Banksy Locations and Tours: A Collection of Graffiti Locations and Photographs in London”.
Mr Bull has been conducting free tours of Banksy Graffiti in London and from these walks, he put together a book which shows locations of Banksy Art with maps and for the more technolgically minded – GPS references.
For visitors to London who wish to see Banksy’s work for themselves, the book is an invaluable guide and a percentage of sales going to the Big Issue (a charity for the homeless).
The book is now in its third edition, as Banksy’s works are added and sadly buffed and stolen but the author keeps up to date via Banksy Posters on forums on the Internet and social sites where people upload new works all the time.
http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/0,26058,24495720-27978,00.html
13
Oct
2008
Great footage from the strange and bizarre Village Pet Store
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I think this is one of the best videos of Banksy’s Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill.
Here at Banksy Posters, we like to have a hoedown on a Monday morning, so the music is just perfect!
The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill. From Banksy: New Yorkers dont care about art, they care about pets. So Im exhibiting them instead. I wanted to make art that questioned our relationship with animals and the ethics and sustainability of factory farming, but it ended up as chicken nuggets singing. I took all the money I made exploiting an animal in my last show and used it to fund a new show about the exploitation of animals. If its art and you can see it from the street, I guess it could still be considered street art.”
12
Oct
2008
The Mystery and Mystique of Banksy
I just found a great piece in the “News.Scotsman” (of all places!) about Banksy.
It’s a worthwhile read for all fans of Banksy Graffiti and charts his rise from spray-painting trains to placing his works of art in National Galleries.
There is of speculation as to his real identity, as has been speculated by plenty of Banksy Posters on forums and the strange fact that the last “outing” by the Daily Mail was for someone whose death certificate may or may not have appeared.
All in all, an interesting article for anyone fascinated by the mysterious Banksy!
http://news.scotsman.com/opinion/Profile-Banksy–Art39s-faceless.4583430.jp
