Banksy, His Control Freakiness, and Artivism

This is a cool NYTimes article published a couple of days ago on Banksy, his rise as a debatable artist, and his artist legacy (whichever way you choose to define it).

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/arts/design/banksy-legacy.html

Here are a few interesting highlights:

"This is quite a turnaround. Fifteen years ago Banksy, a young upstart street artist from Bristol, England, was smuggling his works into museums as pranks. Now, they can be the official stars of the show, accompanied by guided tours and lectures.

How has Banksy, the archetypical artist-provocateur, gotten here? None of it has happened by accident. Banksy’s rise and rise is the result of years of meticulous control of his message, his market and, most importantly, his mystique.

The enormous popularity of Banksy’s brand of urban art has given the cultural establishment, increasingly jittery about perceptions of elitism, plenty to think about. The Staatsgalerie Stuttgart has asked the question: Is Banksy a historically significant artist? If he is — and for many that is a very big “if” — what will be his legacy?"

"What Banksy does is more like an advertising campaign than art, Mr. Bonami added.

But rather than concentrate on individual images, which can have a throwaway quality, Banksy’s admirers see value in his role as an activist as much as in the art itself."

- Joud T.