Who is Banksy? A guide to the street artist, printmaker and anti-establishment provocateur

In July 2019, anonymous graffiti artist Banksy was voted Britain’s favourite artist, beating John Constable, J.M.W. Turner and L.S. Lowry to the title.

Although his identity remains a mystery, Banksy’s provocative stencils are among the most iconic and controversial images in street art. He first sprayed — or ‘bombed’ — the walls of Bristol in the south-west of England in the early 1990s, but his fame soared after he moved to London in the early 2000s. He has since left his mark on cities around the world, from Bristol to Naples, Bethlehem to Paris.

His first official solo show in more than a decade, Cut and Run, showcased the original and previously unseen stencils used to create some of the artist’s murals over the past 25 years. Held at Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art, it drew record visitor numbers during its 10-week run in the summer of 2023.

Banksy has an Academy Award-nominated documentary (2010’s Exit through the Gift Shop), a pop-up ‘bemusement park’ (Dismaland, created in 2015), more than 13 million followers on Instagram and an auction record of £18.5 million to his name.

His collectors include celebrity actors, musicians and artists, and even the British Museum, which added a fake banknote depicting Diana, Princess of Wales, to its collection of coins, medals and currency.

In May 2020, Banksy’s canvas Game Changer, which shows a boy playing with a nurse doll dressed as a superhero, appeared overnight in a hospital in England as the artist’s way to thank staff for their contribution to tackling the Covid-19 pandemic. The following March, the picture was offered at Christie’s, with the proceeds going to charity. It raised £16.8 million and became the second most valuable work by Banksy to have sold at auction.

So how did Banksy’s art go from the street to the saleroom? Here, Prints and Multiples specialist James Baskerville explores the artist’s commercial career and the works that have performed best at auction.

Banksy versus the art market

The irony that the establishment has embraced his anti-capitalist and anti-authoritarian art is not lost on Banksy. His 2007 screenprint Morons lampoons the auction world: the image parodies a photograph of Christie’s record-breaking sale of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers in 1987.

In place of the flowers, Banksy writes, ‘I can’t believe you morons actually buy this shit.’ An edition of this print sold for £75,000 in an online sale in April 2021. Another proof, ‘outside of the edition’, sold for £81,900 in May 2022.

Banksy has been selling his art since the 1990s

Alongside his street art, Banksy has been creating works for sale for more than 20 years, and his earliest commercial prints are from 2002.

‘Banksy didn’t create prints to make money. They were sold for low prices in order to democratise his art and make it accessible,’ explains Baskerville. ‘People were often buying the art as if it was a poster, with no awareness of its future value.’

Banksy continued to sell his work in later, now-famous solo exhibitions, including Barely Legal in Los Angeles in 2006, and Banksy versus Bristol Museum in 2009.

His most iconic images fetch the highest prices

Banksy’s most sought-after editions, canvases and sculptures are often directly inspired by his graffiti art. Girl and Balloon, depicting a child extending her hand towards a heart-shaped balloon, was originally a series of stencil murals first sprayed in London in 2002 and is synonymous with the artist.

‘Editions of this iconic artwork are some of the most desirable Banksy pieces at auction,’ says Baskerville. There are variations of the image in red, purple, pink and gold. In September 2020, Christie’s sold an artist’s proof with a purple balloon for £791,250, more than triple its low estimate. The price set a new world record for a Banksy edition at the time of sale.

NOLA, also known as Umbrella Girl, first appeared in New Orleans in 2008. It was created in response to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Gustav in 2008. Editions with white, grey, orange and yellow rain were subsequently made for general release in editions of 289, 63, 32 and 31 respectively.

Banksy also made a total of 66 artist’s proofs comprised of six unreleased colourways, including the transitional colourways ‘Dark Orange to Light Orange Rain’ and ‘Green to Blue Rain’. NOLA (Yellow Rain) — Outside of the edition set a record price for the subject at auction when it sold for for £375,000 in April 2021.

Animals appear frequently in Banksy’s art

Banksy’s mural campaign across London in the summer of 2024 featured a multitude of animals, culminating in a work outside London Zoo. According to Baskerville, works featuring animals including rats and chimps are among the artist’s most recognisable and sought-after. ‘There are many variations of the rats. Some hold placards, others paint,’ says the specialist. ‘A picture of a chimpanzee bearing the words “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge” is also one of the most celebrated.’

Original Banksy graffiti should stay put

By the late 2000s, the art world had caught up with Banksy’s popular appeal, and many of his surviving works (those that had not been erased by overzealous council graffiti-removal teams) had been removed from their original public settings and sold, without the artist’s consent. Banksy has always intended his street-art pieces to remain in their original contexts, and it is important to note that they will not be authenticated by the artist or his team if they have been removed.

Since the 1990s, Banksy has ‘bombed’ cities across the UK, including London, Brighton and Bristol, as well as urban hotspots across America, Australia and Canada. He strikes with no prior warning, so the next city or dwelling to be sprayed could be yours.

In August 2021, Banksy undertook a ‘Great British Spraycation’ and installed several graffiti pieces in sites on the east coast of England. In November 2022, several Banksy murals with anti-war themes appeared in cities across Ukraine. Days later, the artist confirmed they were by his hand when he uploaded a video of his painting tour through bombed-out cities to his social media account. Soon after, he released the screenprint (Fr)agile in an edition of 50, donating all the proceeds from sales to the Legacy of War Foundation.

He also released the following statement: ‘In Ukraine I saw a Legacy of War team sweep in and provide medical attention, heaters, fresh water and a friendly face to some very desperate people in a bombed out building. They also lent me one of their ambulances to work from, which turned out to be extremely useful when an angry babushka found me painting on her building and called the Police. I feel the least I should do is raise enough money to replace the number plates on the ambulance I hotted up.’

‘Banksy’s murals in Ukraine, and his subsequent fundraising print release, are a continuation of the artist’s constant support for charities helping those in the most desperate of situations,’ says Baskerville.

Editions can be signed or unsigned, and a Pest Control certificate is essential

Banksy’s unsigned prints are created in higher edition numbers. As a result, they are more affordable than their signed counterparts. Unsigned and signed artworks are equally legitimate — a certificate from Pest Control, Banksy’s ‘handling service’, is the proof of authenticity that you need.

Banksy set up Pest Control in 2008 to authenticate his artworks and prevent fakes from circulating on the market. All Banksy artworks created after 2009 were sold with a Pest Control certificate. The service can retroactively issue certificates for works created before 2008. Pest Control is now the only channel through which to buy new primary-market works by the artist.

Baskerville warns that there are fake Pest Control certificates in circulation. ‘If you’re unsure about your certificate, you can have it checked via Pest Control’s ‘Keeping It Real’ service. All of the works that we offer are reviewed by Pest Control prior to sale.’

Banksy’s works are currently only available on the secondary market

‘It’s not possible to buy a new work by Banksy on the primary market these days,’ says Baskerville. ‘A decade ago, the artist was selling directly through certified dealers, at exhibitions, or through his former printers, Pictures on Walls. But today he only sells directly, and nothing is currently available.’

If you are acquiring a Banksy on the secondary market, the specialist’s advice is to buy from a trusted source such as a big auction house or a reputable dealer. All Banksy artworks offered at Christie’s have been authenticated and come with Pest Control certificates.

Choose Your Weapon is one of the artist’s most collectable series and was produced in a multitude of colourways.

The image pays tribute to Keith Haring’s famous ‘barking dog’ motif, remixing it with a hooded figure and chain leash. In addition to the standard edition of 100 in the ‘Cool Grey’ colourway, the artist produced several other variants in smaller editions of 25, including ‘Light Orange’, ‘Turquoise’, ‘Magenta’, ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’. There was also a subsequent colourway called ‘Queue Jumping Grey’, which was created in an edition of 58 for those who had missed out on obtaining a print at the original release due to others pushing in line.

A special release of 58 artist’s proofs mostly comprised different colour variants from the published series, with a very small number in an additional colourway of ‘Dark Blue’. This colour was not released as a numbered edition, and so is exceedingly rare, having only been available within the artist’s proof edition and a select few gift impressions.

Banksy’s market has a wide collector base

In Baskerville’s opinion, Banksy has earned his place in art history. ‘There is continued interest for Banksy editions, and we see increased demand from collectors when the artist pulls a stunt and global media coverage ensues.’

It’s also a matter of supply and demand. Baskerville points out that Banksy didn’t release any new editions between Choose Your Weapon in 2010 and Sale Ends (v.2), which was released from the Pictures on Walls closing-down sale in 2017.

‘The artist then unexpectedly unveiled a shopfront in Croydon, London, in October 2019, where collectors had the opportunity to purchase limited editions and collectables via a lottery system. However, the lucky buyers had to wait two years before they could apply for the accompanying certificates of authenticity. This was also the case with the most recent edition, (Fr)agile, released at the end of 2022.’

Look after your Banksy — and it will look after you

Although Banksy’s street art is weathered, most of his commercial works are issued in pristine condition — whether on paper, canvas, cardboard or stencilled on a wooden box. Care for them as you would any other artwork: hang canvases and prints away from direct sunlight and changing humidity. Works on paper should be framed beneath UV-protective glass.

It’s just as important to look after the Pest Control certificate: you will need it if you ever decide to sell your Banksy.

Christie’s Prints and Multiples season runs until 1 October 2024, with Contemporary Edition and Prints and Multiples now open for bidding online