The most famous street artist on the planet holds no trademark on his works, but the enigmatic Briton definitely owns his identity, as a new exhibit shows.
The Louise Michel is Banksy's rescue boat for migrantsImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Palacios
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Since his graffiti art began appearing around Bristol, England, in the early 1990s, the question has remained: Who is Banksy? An individual? A man or a woman? Or is there a collective behind the name? Despite ongoing speculation about his identity, we know only one thing about Banksy with certainty: his works. Under the title Who the f*** is Banksy?, the Rosenhang Museum in Weilburg on the Lahn in Hesse, central Germany, is now exhibiting 25 of them from his iconic street art oeuvre.
"The focus will not be on art, but on the figure of Banksy," exhibition co-curator Michael Schulz told DW of a show that celebrates diverse aspects of his work — from record covers to a pop art portrait of Kate Moss for electro producer Dirty Funker to a print of Banksy's iconic stencil artwork Girl with Balloon.
The composer Lutz Fahrenkrog-Petersen developed background music for an "art cage" at the exhibition, including some from a band that Banksy was allegedly a member of in his hometown of Bristol.
"It's irrelevant whether Banksy is a group or a woman. He's a phenomenon. You have to leave it at that," added Schulz in reference to an artist who generally refuses to exhibit his works in museums because he doesn't believe people should have to pay to see his art.
Banksy's Andy Warhol-inspired portrait of Kate Moss from 2005 is on show at the Rosenhang MuseumImage: Yui Mok/dpa/picture-alliance
Internal contradictions?
Banksy might oppose the commodification of his art that addresses the political issues of our time — from refugee rights to Black Lives Matter and the climate crisis — but he is also a victim of his own success. His popularity has created "an eerie commercialism that Banksy rejects deep down," said Schultz.
The difficult question of who Banksy is must include the discrepancy between his critique of capitalism and the millions of dollars his works generate. The street artist himself contributed to the hype, including his decision to maintain a secret identity.
In 2010, as director of the Exit Through the Gift Shop Bansky biopic, he added a chapter to his own iconography. Some might say that Banksy knows how to market himself, and therefore add value to artworks like Devolved Parliament, his painting that sold for nearly $12 million (€10.9 million) in October 2019. His Girl with Balloon, which shredded itself during an auction, also increased in value after the action despite it being a criticism of the art market.
A print of "A Girl with Balloon," arguably Banksy's defining motif, is also on show Image: Bansky/Rosenhang Museum
Banksy as benefactor
The curator does not see any hypocrisy in this. "What does he do with his money?" asks Michael Schulz with a view to the Louise Michel, the Banksy-funded rescue sea vessel that picks up stranded refugees in the Mediterranean as part of the German rescue organization Sea-Watch. In a reworking of his Girl with Balloon, the artist has painted a girl wearing a life jacket and holding up a pink heart-shaped floating device on the boat (see top image).
In July, Banksy auctioned off an art triptych and announced that the proceeds of €2.3 million ($2.8 million) would be used to build a stroke center in a Palestinian hospital in Bethlehem and to finance children rehabilitation efforts.
The triptych had previously hung in the Bethlehem Hotel Walled Off, which mockingly advertises its view of the embattled West Bank and was co-founded by Banksy. Last Christmas, Banksy created a nativity scene on the shot-up barrier wall next door.
Banksy has also reacted to the coronavirus pandemic with a stencil of rats in the London Underground that promoted mask wearing. And in May he left a work of art in a hospital in Southampton as a thank you to the nursing staff. The painting is to be auctioned off for a good cause in the Northern Hemisphere's fall months.
Banksy new 'tree mural' vandalized
The mural with an environmental message has been defaced shortly after it appeared in London. Here are more of the anonymous artist's works.
Image: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA/picture alliance
Tree mural
A figure holding a pressure hose is depicted standing next to a real tree; green paint has been sprayed all over the wall, serving as a replacement for the missing leaves of the tree, which has been severely cropped. This mural appeared overnight on a building in Finsbury Park, London. The elusive graffiti artist Banksy confirmed on his Instagram account that he was the author of the work.
Image: Jonathan Brady/PA/AP/picture alliance
Protected by a fence following vandalism
Two days after the mural was first spotted, it appears to have been defaced by vandals. Splashes of white paint now cover part of the artwork, and at least one piece appears to have been torn off. Meanwhile, a security fence has been erected to protect it. Crowds are nevertheless gathering to take photos.
Image: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA/picture alliance
The seagull's last flight
This work by Banksy, created in the eastern English coastal town of Lowestoft, has been removed. The street artist sprayed the bird on a house in August 2021. Since the building is privately owned, the council has not been able to intervene. But a spokesperson expressed disappointment: "The artwork has been a draw to tourists and a talking point for Lowestoft on the national stage."
Image: Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images
Morning Is Broken
In 2023, the street artist painted an image of a young boy and a cat on the wall of a dilapidated farmhouse in the county of Kent in southeastern England. Neither the owners nor the workers were aware of this when the building was demolished. But then Banksy posted photos on his Instagram account. "It made me feel sick realizing it was a Banksy," said one of the contractors.
Image: Banksy/Instagram/PA/dpa/picture allinace
'Valentine's Day Mascara'
On Valentine's Day, 2023, Bansky created a work depicting a stereotypical 1950s "housewife" as a victim of domestic violence fighting back. Wearing a pinafore and yellow washing-up gloves, the woman with a swollen eye and a missing tooth shoves her male partner into a chest freezer. The work appeared on a wall in the city of Margate in Kent.
Image: Gareth Fuller/empics/picture alliance
'Borodyanka, Ukraine'
This mural is named after a town near Kyiv that was severely damaged in the early days after Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine and occupied by Russian forces until April of the same year. Posted to Instagram in November 2022, the work depicts a young gymnast performing a handstand on chunks of broken masonry on the cracked concrete wall of a damaged building.
Image: Gleb Garanich/REUTERS
'We're All In The Same Boat'
This artwork appeared on a wall in a park in Lowestoft, England, on August 7, 2021. While it was quickly believed to be a new work by Banksy, the elusive street artist only confirmed a week later through an Instagram post that he was responsible for it, as well as for a series of new works in different English coastal towns, which he dubbed "A Great British Spraycation."
Image: PA/AP/picture alliance
The Louise Michel, a rescue boat for refugees
Banksy funded a boat to rescue refugees trying to cross from North Africa to Europe. The Louise Michel, named after a 19th-century French feminist anarchist, is covered with pink paint and the street artist's graffiti. According to The Guardian, 89 people were rescued in one day in 2020. Since the beginning of that same year, at least 500 migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean.
Image: Louise Michel
A statement on systemic racism
A vigil candle sets fire to the US flag: In June 2020, Banksy revealed on Instagram a painting commenting on George Floyd's killing and honoring the Black Lives Matter movement. "People of color are being failed by the system. The white system," the artist wrote. "This is a white problem. And if white people don't fix it, someone will have to come upstairs and kick the door in."
Image: Reuters/Instagram/@banksy
The superheroes of the coronavirus pandemic
Spiderman and Batman are yesterday's superheroes: This little boy prefers to play with a nurse wearing a face mask and a cape. With this picture, revealed at the beginning of May 2020, Banksy paid tribute to the outstanding contribution of doctors, nurses and hospital workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Image: Reuters/Banksy Imstagram
Ready for takeoff?
In December 2019, Banksy posted a video showing his mural of reindeer taking off — but instead of Santa's sleigh in tow, it's a man lying on a bench, to draw attention to the plight of the homeless. "God bless Birmingham," the artist wrote. "In the 20 minutes, we filmed Ryan on this bench, passersby gave him a hot drink, two chocolate bars and a lighter — without him ever asking for anything."
Image: Reuters/Instagram/@banksy
'Devolved Parliament' — Made in Britain
In 2009, the elusive street artist created "Devolved Parliament," featuring chimps instead of politicians in the British Parliament. Amid the chaos caused by Brexit, the work embodies the country's political atmosphere. The 2.8-by-4.5-meter (around 9-by-15-foot) painting was auctioned off in London in October 2019 for £9.8 million (around €11 million).
Image: picture-alliance/NurPhoto/G. Alexopoulos
On show rather than at auction
The millions of pounds that "Devolved Parliament" reaped in October 2019 also sparked criticism, with no information about the buyer provided. In the same month, Banksy installed an artwork in a closed shop in London as a comment, saying that artworks at auction had become the property of the rich rather than the common property of people.
Image: Getty Images/P. Summers
The World of Banksy
Banksy is one of the most famous street artists in the world, yet his true identity remains under wraps. Paintings or drawings on paper are rare creations for him. Instead, the British artist sprays most of his works on buildings, walls and demolition ruins. Such street art is usually not for sale.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/MAXPPP/A. Marchi
Steve Jobs
A recurring theme in Banksy's works is the predatory nature of global capitalism. The artist sprayed this mural at the entrance area of the refugee camp in Calais, France. It depicts the late founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, carrying his now legendary first Mac. Jobs' father was from Syria.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Spingler
A statement about Brexit
In 2017, Banksy addressed the Brexit debate in the UK with this work. Overnight, it appeared on the wall of a building not far from the ferry port of Dover: It shows a man standing on a ladder trying to remove one of the EU stars with a hammer and chisel. The image has meanwhile disappeared from the wall, which has been whitewashed.
Image: Reuters/H. McKay
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The British street artist has also addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 2017, he opened The Walled Off Hotel, a museum and actual hotel in Bethlehem, right next to the controversial Israeli West Bank barrier. Banksy has marked the wall and historic town with several artworks since 2005, drawing many tourists to make "Banksy" tours.
Image: Getty Images/I. Yefimovich
War is not a child's game
One known fact about Banksy's identity is that the world-famous artist comes from Bristol in southern England. He moved to London at the end of the 1990s and it is there that he began to spray his pictorial messages onto walls. In 2016, he returned to his hometown and left this mural at a primary school.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/N.Munns
Global climate crisis
Banksy has always been a visionary artist. His works have often addressed present and future political problems, such as global warming. He created this message in London in 2009.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/Zak Hussein
Criticism of the media
Banksy has also criticized media, that jump on the bandwagon of sensationalism with regard to the victims of war and terrorist attacks. This is reflected in this work entitled "Media at war," which, like some of his other works, was not sprayed on the wall of a building but exhibited in a London gallery in 2018.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/T. Akmen
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No to copyright, yes to trademark
"Copyright is for losers" was the stenciled motto the street artist was long known for. But in 2014, he decided to register his legendary street art work Flower Thrower, created in the West Bank in 2005, as a EU trademark. In 2019, a British company that sold postcards with the motif successfully appealed against the artist's trademark rights.
The EU's intellectual property office recently upheld the decision by stating that Banksy was keeping his identity secret and had repeatedly spoken out against copyright in the past.
"He certainly hasn't changed his mind," said Michael Schulz. "Banksy simply wanted to avoid anyone making money with his work." It also seems certain that he will continue to keep his identity secret, trademark or not.
Banksy feels that his art should ultimately belong to everyone. But when asking Who the f*** is Banksy?, it seems his identity will always remain his personal property.
Who the f*** is Banksy? runs September 26 through November 15, 2020, at the Rosenhang Museum in Hesse, Germany.
This article was originally written in German and has been adapted into English by Stuart Braun