Glasgow Artfair opens with Banksy for sale

David | Art news, banksy news | April 23, 2009

This year’s Artfair in Glasgow has opened with a diverse range of art for sale from graffiti artists such as Banksy and Nick Walker to classic Scottish artists like Anne Redpath or John Byrne .
Art galleries from Aberdeen to Hanoi are represented, art dealers spoke of fending off the bite of the recession as buyers seek out artists they rate as being safe investments.Duncan Miller, a London-based dealer and an expert on Scottish art. “There are people still buying, but they are not in the same numbers right now.”

Mr Miller’s gallery was offering Anne Redpath’s The Grapes for £110,000. Nearby, David Lilford Fine Art was offering a Banksy canvas, Precision Bombing, in which a gunsight picks out a police car, for £95,000.
However, dealers said young artists without established names are struggling in the current climate. Pete Irvine, the fair’s director, said: “Prices are lower than we have seen and it’s an indication of people having less money. Like everyone else, I think the galleries are trying to be realistic.”

Banksy says 200 fakes have been sold

David | Art news, banksy news | September 29, 2008

Artist Banksy has issued a statement that over 200 art works supposedly by him are in fact fakes .Pest Control, the association set up by Banksy, said 89 street pieces and 137 screen prints have been falsely attributed to him. Pest Control does not authenticate street pieces because Banksy prefers street work to remain in situ and building owners tend to become irate when their doors go missing because of a stencil. Banksy has a casual attitude to copyright and encourages the reproduction of his work for your own personal amusement, so it’s with regret that he finds himself having to deem pieces either ‘real’ or ‘fake’. He would encourage anyone wanting to purchase one of his images to do so with extreme caution, but does point out that many copies are superior in quality to the originals.

A new auction of work by Banksy takes place tomorrow . The artist has not authenticated the pieces but the auctioneers, Lyon & Turnbull, insist that they are genuine.

They include Refuse Rat, which is expected to fetch £20,000, and Fungle Junk (£150,000), consisting of three panels painted on to the side of a trailer at a festival in Cornwall in 1999.

A spokesman for the auctioneers said: “Banksy hasn’t said they are fake.
I don’t know why he’s not authenticated them…

Madonna gets Banksy art for 50th birthday

David | banksy news, Featured | August 10, 2008

What’s a Material girl to do? The big 50 looms and her husband needs a present for the girl who has everything . Solution ? Banksy . Madonna is a big fan of the graffiti artist . So Guy Ritchie has asked banksy to produce something special for Madonna’s 50th birthday bash next Saturday

Banksy artwork wanted

David | banksy news, Featured | July 14, 2008

Banksy is the most popular artist in the UK at the moment. Photogold sells Banksy’s work in our online art gallery. At the moment Photogold is actively seeking work by Banksy to purchase for the gallery. We are looking for genuine pieces by Banksy. Contact us on 0203 3717549 for more information

Banksy unmasked

David | banksy news, Featured | July 13, 2008

The identity of anti-establishment artist Banksy has been a closely guarded secret until now, but new evidence from a Sunday newspaper investigation suggests that he is in fact Robin Gunningham, 34, a former pupil at the £9,240-a-year Bristol Cathedral School.

Banksy rose to fame by using stencils to paint illegal grafitti images on public walls, often with a topical political message. His images have become so popular that some councils and businesses have opted to protect his creations rather than wash them off.

Jay-Z pictures live on stage at Glastonbury

David | banksy news, Featured | June 30, 2008

Jay-Z finally made his appearance at Glastonbury on Saturday. His performance brought the crowd to its feet . Noel Gallacher has said that Jay-Z shouldn’t be playing at Glastonbury . In mock tribute to the Oasis writer, Jay-Z played Wonderwall on his entrance to the stage .

Pictures of Jay-Z live on stage at Glastonbury. Banksy’s latest work features Michael Eaton as rapper Jay-Z

Banksy turns Michael Eaton into Jay Z

David | Art news, banksy news, Featured, Wall Art Gallery | June 25, 2008

Banksy has produced a new image making Glastonbury organiser Michael Eaton look like rapper Jay Z. Eaton caused a controversy when he announced rapper Jay Z would headline Glastonbury this year .

The black and white image shows Eavis squatting in the US singer’s customary pose with Jay Zeavis written above him.
Local Dave Sebastian said: “Banksy’s probably as miffed as we are about Jay Z headlining the festival.”

New Banksy – from Blur to Bloomsbury auctions

David | Art news, banksy news, Featured, urban art | June 25, 2008

The Banksy piece created for Blur is to go to auction in a sale of modern and contemporary art taking place at Bloomsbury Auctions on Thursday.

‘Lot 90: Banksy (b.1975) UNTITLED, 2003, spraypaint with stencil on concrete blocks, approx.

96 x 72in.’ price? ‘£30,000-£50,000.’

‘Yes, it is a lot, and no, we’d never heard of Banksy before,’ said Mr Walmesley , the farmer whose duckhouse Banksy painted . He came down to London with a trailer carrying the concrete blocks in a reinforced steel frame.
Banksy had also tested his aerosol cans on a steel barn door. ‘But then the barn was renovated and Steve was going to chuck the door in a skip,’ remembers Lucy’s boyfriend, David Smith.

‘I rescued it because I liked the image – a girl with a television set – stuck it in our Fiesta, took it home and there it sat in our living room.’ David, too, remained blissfully unaware of Banky’s significance until a friend suggested he have the piece valued. He sold it for £32,000 at Bonhams last year.

Banksy – Melbourne stole all the Aborigines pencils

David | banksy news, Featured | June 24, 2008

Interesting interview on Australian radio

RACHAEL :Â British artist Banksy is quoted saying that Melbourne’s laneways were arguably Australia’s most significant contribution to the arts since they stole all the Aborigines pencils. Would you agree with a comment like that?

TRACEY AVERY: I think part of Banksy‘s comment implies that what graffiti provides is a place for ordinary people to have a voice and that it’s a place where it’s not an art form that has to be recognised in a gallery but it’s an art form that can be recognised on the ground. I think people would recognise say in Hosier Lane that the works there more reflect an artistic sensibility and are social comment and are not just mindless vandalism.

RACHAEL BROWN: One might assume artists would applaud the protection of graffiti but Melbourne curator and artist, Andrew Mac, says it would fly in the face of what graffiti and street art is all about.
ANDREW MAC: The work is ephemeral. It’s not meant to last. It lasts purely as long as the weather and other graffiti artists allow it to last. When you interfere with what is an organic process like that, you actually make the graffiti stagnant and what makes graffiti thrilling and interesting to the public and to other graffiti artists is the fact that it’s a never-ending changing kind of living art form”

Banksy CCTV – new mural by Banksy

David | banksy news, Featured | June 23, 2008

The latest work by controversial artist Banksy is a mural ‘One Nation Under CCTV’ painted next to a CCTV camera at a Post Office yard in the West End of London. Banksy said”We could have put prints up for sale and made a fortune, but that’s not what this is about. We wanted people to be able to come here and have a go themselves.’

And when they’ve finished, they’re invited to take away whatever they like. ‘We did a show where we gave away free canvases to kids a couple of years ago, and this is just a progression from that. We’re giving away a piece of wall instead of the canvas.’

French graffiti legend Blek le Rat, who won’t arrive until tomorrow. Banksy is a huge fan. ‘Every time I think I’ve painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek le Rat has done it, too,’ he says, ‘only Blek did it 20 years earlier.’

Described as Britain’s Andy Warhol, undercover graffiti guerrilla Banksy is not only our most important working artist, but one of the world’s most elusive criminals.

In January, a wall defaced by his spray can sold for £208,100. Everyone from Jude Law to Brangelina has his politically charged stencils on their walls