The Rise and Rise of Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous Bristol-based street artist, political activist, and filmmaker whose real identity still remains unknown. Best known for his satirical and thought-provoking street art, he often incorporates dark humor and social commentary into his work, which has now appeared all over the world, gaining a cult following.
Early years (1990-2000)
First emerging in the 1990s from Bristol's underground art scene, Banksy’s early work was heavily influenced by the punk movement and international graffiti artists like Blek le Rat. His early work (seen below) consisted mainly of freehand graffiti, in a distinctive ‘tagging’ style.
These early works also start to display Banksy’s distinctive stencil technique. Stencilling is done by using a large sheet of paper or card which has been cut into the design. Banksy then tapes the sheet to the wall and sprays it with black spray paint so only the parts that have been cut away retain the black paint. Then finishing touches are added for detail with an additional stencil and white spray paint or a white paint marker.
Early Banksy works in Bristol
Image credit: Banksy News
Gaining Recognition (2000-2005)
By the early 2000s, Banksy’s work gained recognition beyond Bristol. He began creating provocative street art in London and other cities around the world, often targeting topical, political and social issues like war, capitalism, and government surveillance. In the first years of the decade Banksy travelled to Barcelona, Berlin, Vienna, Tokyo, Paris, and Palestine, leaving behind his mark in each of the cities and quickly growing a cult-following.
Works created in this time include:
Girl with Balloon, South Bank London (2002)
Image credit: Banksy Explained
Kissing Coppers, Brighton (2004)
Image credit: Banksy Explained
Love Is In The Air, Jerusalem (2003)
Image credit: Banksy Explained
A Global Influence (2005-2010)
The mid-2000s saw Banksy’s prints and editions start to become hot collectors items. Art dealers and celebrities from around the world would start to fight for rare works and auction houses became the it-place to buy collectable street art. On 19 October 2006, a set of Banksy ‘Kate Moss’ paintings sold at Sotheby's London for £50,400, setting an auction record for the artist’s work.
The next year, in February 2007, Sotheby's auctioned a further three works, with ‘Bombing Middle England’ smashing the record for the highest ever price for a Banksy work (£102,000) which was set just 5 months prior.
Throughout the decade, Banksy would continue to spread his provocative street art all over the world with new murals appearing in London, Bristol, New Orleans, New York, Mali, Boston and many more.
Grim Reaper, Bristol (2005)
Image credit: (CC) BY 2.0 and My Art Broker
Child with Kite Fridge, New Orleans (2008)
Image Credit: infrogmation (CC) BY 2.0 and My Art Broker
I Don’t Believe In Global Warming, Regents Canal (2009)
Image credit: Dullhunk and My Art Broker
Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010)
In 2010, Banksy once again made headlines with his new documentary film ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ that explored the world of street art and the commercialisation of the movement. The film blurred the lines between reality and fiction, leading many to question whether it was a genuine documentary or an elaborate hoax.
The film follows Thierry Guetta, who obsessively films everything around him. He becomes fascinated with street art and begins documenting the works of various artists, with Guetta eventually managing to track down and film Banksy, an artist he idolises. However, as the film progresses, Banksy turns the camera onto Guetta himself, who reinvents himself as a street artist named Mr. Brainwash. With little artistic experience, Guetta rapidly gains fame by creating large-scale works, which are then sold. The film critiques how the art world blindly accepts and monetises hype, questioning the authenticity of contemporary art.
Recent years (2010-Present)
Throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, Banksy continues to create politically charged street art and installations, now using his reputation to conduct large-scale and highly ambitious stunts. This has allowed Banksy to remain one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in the art world.
Notable projects from this time include:
Dismaland (2015)
In 2015, Banksy created Dismaland, a dystopian "bemusement park" in Weston-super-Mare, England. The attraction was an anti-Disneyland-style art installation, which featured decaying fairy-tale castles, distorted attractions. Banksy also invited other renowned artists from around the world to contribute to the park with performances from Pussy Riot and artworks from Damien Hirst, Jenny Holzer, David Shrigley and many more being featured. The park was later dismantled, with materials sent to build shelters for refugees.
Image credit: London Calling Blog
Love Is In The Bin (2018)
Regarded as one of Banksy’s most famous stunts ‘Love Is In The Bin’ was created during a live Sotheby’s auction in London as is believed to be the first piece of contemporary artwork created at auction. The event stunned the art world and became a viral moment in contemporary art history.
As the hammer dropped at Sotheby’s, original piece ‘Girl with Balloon’ sold for £1.04 million. Then an alarm sounded inside the frame, and the artwork began shredding itself through a hidden mechanism. The lower half of the canvas was destroyed, leaving the shredded strips hanging from the frame, while the upper part remained intact. Banksy later posted a video on Instagram revealing that he had secretly installed a shredder inside the frame years earlier in case the artwork was ever put up for sale. During this video Banksy unveiled the name of this piece as ‘Love Is In The Bin’.
In October 2021, ‘Love Is in the Bin ‘was resold at Sotheby’s for £18.58 million – nearly 18 times its original auction price.
Image credit: Sotheby’s
London Zoo (2024)
In August 2024, Banksy unveiled a series of nine animal-themed artworks across London, culminating with a striking piece at the London Zoo. Each work was unveiled daily by Banksy on Instagram, and showcased his signature blend of satire and social commentary.
The series concluded with a mural at the London Zoo, featuring a gorilla lifting a curtain. The artwork suggested animals yearning for freedom, with birds flying away, a seal nearly escaping, and glowing eyes peering from the darkness.
Image credit: Banksy
Throughout the past 3 decades, from his rebellious beginnings in 1990s Bristol to his world-renowned status today, Banksy has redefined the power of street art. His work is more than just visually striking—it carries sharp political and social commentary, challenging authority, capitalism, and injustice. Banksy has proven that art can be a weapon, a protest, and a statement all at once with his ability to remain anonymous while maintaining global influence, speaking to the strength his messages hold.
Available works by Banksy at Extraordinary Objects Gallery:
Works featured above are available to purchase from Extraordinary Objects Gallery. For more details please get in touch. To view our full collection of works from some of Contemporary Art’s biggest names visit our new acquisitions page.