The photos on this blog are sourced primarily from Banksy’s website www.banksy.co.uk and his Instagram, @banksy. Elsewhere, the photographer is indicated in the name of the ‘jpg’.
Banksy or not?
There is some confusion regarding the authenticity of certain street art pieces and his “inside” work. Whether Banksy has painted a particular motive is usually established by the following sources:
Banksy’s five books:
- Banging your head against a brick wall, 2001
- Existencilism, 2002
- Cut it Out, 2004
- Wall and piece, 2005
- Cut & Run, 2023
Banksy’s website and Instagram account:
- http://www.banksy.co.uk, has been publishing his work continuously, both street art and studio pieces, such as oils and sculptures, or “outside” and “inside,” as Banksy puts it.
- Banksy’s Instagram account: @banksy, or www.instagram.com/banksy/
- The Walled Off Hotel website: https://walledoffhotel.com
Some of the official websites from previous exhibitions are still up and running.
- http://www.grossdomesticproduct.com
- https://dismaland.co.uk
- http://thevillagepetstoreandcharcoalgrill.com/menu.html
- http://www.santasghetto.com
External sources
The big auction firms. Christies, Sotheby’s, Phillips, Bonhams and Forum Auctions, are experts on Banksy’s studio artwork. If they claim that the piece is authentic Banksy, there are no reasons not to believe them. The serious auction houses don’t deal with Banksy street art pieces; they only sell legitimate ‘indoor’ art—prints, multiples, and unique works, such as oil paintings and sculptures.
A few galleries in the UK have dealt with Banksy’s studio work for ages, and they have helpful information on their websites:
- Hanguppictures
- Andipa
- Castle Gallery Ltd. in Belfast
- Graffiti Street in Chichester.
Some independent websites have been operating for years and provide loads of historical information on Banksy:
Similar websites like the one you are looking at now have sprung up in recent years, and they also have loads of info:
Urban Art Association is a internetforum with a lot of information on Banksy and his peers
Other interesting accounts
The Banksy Gross Domestic Product account on Instagram is most likely linked to Banksy: @banksygrossdomesticproduct, or https://www.instagram.com/banksygrossdomesticproduct/
Steve Lazarides Instagram: @stevelazarides, or https://www.instagram.com/stevelazarides/
Banksy Cut & Run on Instagram, previously Banksy Marketplace. It’s not an official account, but they do publish interesting stuff: @banksycutandrun, or https://www.instagram.com/banksycutandrun/
There is one page on Facebook that does a good job of publishing interesting Banksy stuff, and it’s called Banksy Locations: https://www.facebook.com/groups/768336387329279
Pictures on Walls website is still up and running: https://www.picturesonwalls.com
Books
- Home Sweet Home – Banksy’s Bristol. By Steve Wright & Richard Jones. An excellent compilation of Banksy’s early work in Bristol. Very well written by two real experts. A true gem of a book. Considered a reliable source of pictures and information.
- Banksy – The Man behind the Wall. By Will Ellsworth-Jones. An excellent read, very well documented and well written.
- Banksy, the early shows. 1992 – 2005. Edited by Uli Blanché and published by Heidelberg University. Very interesting! Downloadable for free here: https://books.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/arthistoricum/catalog/view/1201/2062/108482
Authenticity
How do you know that a Banksy print or original oil painting is an authentic Banksy? The authenticity is certified by Banksy’s own office, Pest Control Office, www.pestcontroloffice.com. Upon request, and after investigating the motive, the condition, and the provenance of the piece, they issue a Certificate of Authenticity (COA)—a key element in a fake-proof authentication system. All authentic screen prints, signed or unsigned, normally carry a COA with them. They do not issue COAs for street art pieces that have been removed from buildings and streets.
Ephemera: There are a lot of high-quality official and semiofficial “ephemera” that don’t have a COA, but they do have a real collection value. Two examples of quality “ephemera” are the programmes from the official exhibitions and the wall sections from Walled Off Hotel.
Beware of the Banksy-esque souvenirs and the knick-knacks flooding auction sites like eBay and Catawiki – these souvenirs have no collection value whatsoever.
This blog is the result of a database of Banksy’s artwork I tried to put together a few years ago. It is far from complete, and I am sure there are some inaccuracies. The only purpose is to create a chronological context for Banksy’s enormous production. There is no commercial intention.
Rikard Anderson, 2016 – anderson.rikard@gmail.com
Banksy unofficial 