The lighthouse is located in the 7ème Arrondissement district, close to the old port of Marseille. Pictures of the piece have circulated on X since 21 May, but it was not officially confirmed until 3 p.m. on Thursday, 29 May.
The motive is most likely related to the rescue boat MV Louise Michel, which is financed by Banksy and named after French teacher and activist Louise Michel, born on this day in 1830:
As always with Banksy, there are multiple interpretations: it has also been rumoured to be a tribute to the artist known as “Lonely Farmer”, a ‘cult artist’ who recently passed away and had a special relationship with Team Banksy.
The Ukrainian Post Office issued a postage stamp on 20 February featuring a Banksy mural depicting a boy defeating Putin in judo to mark the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion. On 27 February, Banksy confirmed the postage stamp on his Instagram.
1) Firstly, we have the official exhibitions, which Team Banksy organises. Some of them are group shows, and some are exclusively Banksy. Banksy posted a list of his major exhibitions on his website in 2018:
2) Unauthorised exhibitions with authentic works are well-curated displays of special edition screen prints, canvases, and other unique materials, all with a Certificate of Authenticity issued by the Pest Control Office. The MOCO Museum in Amsterdam has an excellent, but unauthorised, permanent Banksy exhibition. Another one featuring authentic pieces is the touring exhibition Art of Banksy, last seen in Covent Garden, London. Former agent Steve Lazarides initially curated the Art of Banksy.
Two other touring exhibitions with authentic artwork are Banksy: The Art of Protest, which was previously titled “Genius or Vandal?” and Building Castles in the Sky. These exhibitions source their pieces from serious, long-term collectors. One can assume they are not very popular with the Banksy camp, but they are honest and well-executed exhibitions.
3) Then we have the fake exhibitions. There are several ongoing exhibitions around the world with 100% fake Banksy artwork, squeezing out the exhibits mentioned above. They have no insurance or cost of sourcing the art, as they only display fakes. Typically, these fake exhibits consist of bad reproductions of street art and shoddy copies of his most iconic canvases and screen prints. The organisers often promote the fake studio pieces as being authentic. To make it even more fake and confusing, one of these shady operators has copied the name of The Art of Banksy from the exhibit mentioned above.
The following photos are from the 100% fake but well-attended exhibit The Mystery of Banksy – A Genius Mind in Malmö, Sweden:
Photos from the 100% fake Banksy exhibition The Mystery of Banksy – A Genius Mind in Malmö, Sweden. Photos: R.A.
Banksy hit the Venice Biennale uninvited with a contemporary message. In his own words on Instagram:
“Setting out my stall at the Venice Biennale. Despite being the largest and most prestigious art event in the world, for some reason I’ve never been invited.”
Banksy’s stay in Paris has been a productive one. On 28 June, Banksy’s Instagram confirmed eight new stencils. The Bataclan Girl, which was stencilled on a fire door to the Bataclan Club, will probably make history.
As reported by Street Art News (www.streetartnews.net), the following two pieces did appear in Paris at the same time and in the same area, but they haven’t been confirmed yet. Judging by style, execution, and political content, they ought to be authentic.
Four stencils appeared on 13 December in The Jungle, a Calais refugee camp. Since Dismaland, it’s clear that Banksy’s preferred theme is the refugee situation in Europe.
In the first years of the decade, besides the UK and US, Banksy went to Barcelona, Berlin, Vienna, Bergen, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Paris, and Palestine, where he painted the first stencilled version of the iconic Love is in the Air behind a gas station in Bethlehem.
Banksy in Barcelona. BornBanksy in Barcelona. Plaza de la Veronica.Banksy in BarcelonaBarcelona ZooBarcelonaBanksy in Tokyo – 2003Banksy in Berlin – 2003Banksy in Paris – 2003Banksy in Paris – 2003Los Angeles – 2002San FranciscoSan FranciscoLove is in the Air. Bethlehem, 2003
Banksy unofficial 