Staff Pick
Banksy, like graffiti and street art in general, often inspires impassioned reactions and fervent opinions. His artwork, speaking for itself as it so easily does, is seen either as mindless vandalism and wanton destruction of property or as creative expression and paint-based sociopolitical commentary. To many he is a countercultural figure or anti-authoritarian folk hero, yet to others he is just another malcontented urban hoodlum. Regardless of your feelings on graffiti, there is no denying the Bristol-bred bloke's effects on street art and the international art scene.
The pseudonymous Banksy notoriously eschews the media and very seldom grants interviews (and when he does, they are often conducted by email), so it is of no surprise that Will Ellsworth-Jones's
Banksy: The Man behind the Wall is an entirely unauthorized affair. Ellsworth-Jones paints as interesting a portrait of the iconoclastic artist as could likely be done, given that he doesn't have any reliably confirmed biographical background with which to sketch his subject. Nonetheless,
Banksy is a well-researched, comprehensive look into the essence of the street artist himself, as well as his art and commercial success.
Without the details of childhood and upbringing to offer as prelude, Ellsworth-Jones has to focus instead on what is actually known about the elusive Banksy. Chapters delve into the various types of graffiti, Banksy's early days in Bristol and London (and the feud with King Robbo), his many shows and exhibitions, the duality of art versus capitalism, the increasing appearance of fakes, forgeries, and imposters, Banksy's inner circle (including Pest Control), and the hullabaloo that surrounded Mr. Brainwash and Banksy's Oscar-nominated film,
Exit through the Gift Shop.
Banksy is amongst the art world's more subversive elements, an accomplished and acclaimed provocateur for whom the art is seemingly of greater importance than the artist himself. Ellsworth-Jones portrays Banksy as creative, hardworking, and not a little calculating or controlling (which follows his overarching and carefully cultivated need for anonymity).
Banksy: The Man behind the Wall is likely one of the more extensive and complete biographies we will see about Banksy — unless, of course, the artist himself moves on from stenciling walls to painting self-portraits.
"There's a whole new audience out there, and it's never been easier to sell it, particularly at the lower levels. You don't have to go to college, drag 'round a portfolio, mail off transparencies to snooty galleries or sleep with someone powerful. All you need now is a few ideas and a broadband connection. This is the first time the essentially bourgeois world of art has belonged to the people. We need to make it count." –Banksy
Recommended By Jeremy G., Powells.com