Banksy has become Britain’s most infamous young artist. Originally from Bristol, he has taken his provocative and inspiring brand of vandalism to sites world-wide, from the Sydney Opera House to Cuba. A media favourite for stunts like hanging his own work in the Tate gallery, but a popular star long before any of this high-profile activity – simply because the people love his stuff.

Banksy has not only brought UK graphic art to an international audience but has proven, through his emotional and provocative work, that his generation are not the apathetic and unfeeling demographic they are made out to be.

Banksy’s satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique. Such artistic works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world.

Banksy art was born of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. According to author and graphic designer Tristan Manco and the book Home Sweet Home, Banksy “was born in 1974 and raised in Bristol, England. The son of a photocopier technician, he trained as a butcher but became involved in graffiti during the great Bristol aerosol boom of the late 1980s.” Observers have noted that his style is similar to Blek le Rat who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris and Jef Aerosol who sprayed his first street stencil in 1982 in Tours (France), and members of the anarcho-punk band Crass, which maintained a graffiti stencil campaign on the London Tube System in the late 1970s and early 1980s.However Banksy himself stated on his website that in all actuality he based his work on that of 3D from Massive Attack, stating, “No, I copied 3D from Massive Attack. He can actually draw.”

Unique Banksy Art

Perhaps his most widely recognized artwork is Girl With The Red Balloon.

Girl With Red Balloon was one of the star attractions at Sotheby’s Contemporary Art Evening Sale in October 2018.

Depicting a girl reaching towards a bright red heart-shaped balloon, the spray paint and acrylic on canvas is one of Banksy’s best-known images.

The auction house said the painting was signed and dedicated and that the vendor had acquired it from the artist in 2006.

The winning bid of £860,000 (£1,042,000 including buyer’s premium) was given by phone at around 9pm, well over the pre-auction estimate of between £200-300,000.

But just after the hammer went down, the painting was shredded, thought to be by a remotely activated mechanism within the frame.

The prized work then came out the bottom in strips.

LIKE BANKSY? CHECK OUT THESE HOT EMERGING ARTISTS

If you like Banksy Art but think his astronomic prices might have become a tad steep you might find solace in knowing there are some younger artists following his trail who have received great response by public and media alike and are showing great signs.

1. VAN DONNA

Van Donna = Van Gogh + Madonna. Both are the artist’s personal heroes and inspiration.
An active philanthropist, the artist was selected to donate an original painting sold at the Terrence Higgins Trust annual charitable auction.
She saw her debut at auctions in Christies’s London successfully selling an original paintings for several thousands of pounds.
A selection of her artworks was added to the permanent collection of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg and the Freud Museum in London. Van Donna’s works have been exhibited in sold-out shows in NYC, Dubai and Riyadh in the show “Riyadh Underground” created by members of the Saudi Royal Family.
Van Donna counts in celebrity fans like Ringo Starr who picked “All You Need Is Love” as his favourite of her artworks. Top Warhol, Banksy Rothko collectors, global top 500 CEO’s, Royal Families and Heads Of State as well as many celebrities are adding Van Donna artworks to their collections.
British artist Van Donna recently made the news after the Daily Mail reported that Prince Harry added her diptych ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ to his own collection, presumably as a love gift for his now bride-to-be Meghan Markle.
Van Donna has so far enjoyed massive press coverage by People, Architectural Digest, Vogue, Grazia, Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan, Insider, Refinery 29, Harper’s Bazaar, Express, Hello!, Mirror, Glamour, Metro, Conde Nast Traveler, Artnet, Yahoo!, IBT, OK!, 9 Honey, Pop Sugar, MSN, 93.7FM, Female First, Whimn, Kiis 101.1, Daily Star, Brides, Bustle and more.

Banksy - Girl With Balloon.

Banksy - Girl With Balloon.

- Screen-print in colours

- Edition of 150 signed and numbered.

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