This time Banksy infiltrated the British Museum, installing a cave painting on a piece of rock depicting a primitive man pushing a shopping trolley.
Prank at British Museum. London, May 2005
Pranks at four New York Museums. March 2005.
On a Sunday, 13 March, Banksy hung his work in four world-famous New York museums: the MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Brooklyn Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. The pranks were presented in the following way on http://www.banksy.co.uk:
On 24 March 2005, Banksy did a remarkable interview on the New York pranks on a National Public Radio show called All Thing Considered. You can listen to it here:
Source: https://www.npr.org/2005/03/24/4559961/hang-and-run-artist-strikes-nyc-museums
Here is same interview accompanied by some footage of the pranks:
Santa’s Ghetto 04. London, December 2004.
The 2004 Santa’s Ghetto was held at Charing Cross Road. A few modified oils. Banksy’s counterfeited ten-pound notes with Lady Di see the light.
Photos: http://www.artofthestate.co.uk, Andipa catalogue
The third book – “Cut it Out”. December, 2004.
Cut it Out was the last of the three little black books. It has some interesting street art, loads of rats, and a few lovely canvases. Among them is “Suicide bombers just need a hug” from the Turf War exhibition.
Prank at the Louvre, Paris. October 2004
In 2004, probably in October, Banksy entered the Louvre, where he hung his version of the Mona Lisa. There is no record of how long the piece lasted.
Prank at the Natural History Museum. London, April 2004.
On 7 April, Banksy entered the Natural History Museum disguised as an employee. He carried a taxidermied rat in a glass-fronted box. The rat wears sunglasses and a complete graffiti kit. Apparently, the rat has sprayed “Our time will come” on the wall behind him. The installation comes with a printed explanation titled Pest Control.
Street Art 2004. Focus on UK.
London was the main focus of street art activity in 2004. But, also two pieces in Brighton and two in Somerset. There were only two pieces outside the UK in 2004, one documented in Berlin and another in Chicago. One of Banksy’s most iconic pieces goes up in Southbank: The girl with the red balloon.
Photos: “Wall and piece”.
In February 2004, Banksy installed a statue in Princess Circus, a small square in central London. The statue is called The Drinker, a caricature of Augustin Rodine’s famous sculpture, The Thinker. A few weeks later, the statue was stolen by self-proclaimed “art terrorist” Andy Link.
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A few months later, on 4 August 2004, Banksy installed another massive sculpture in London; the figure of justice overlooking the Old Bailey in London – with US dollar bills stuffed into her garter and a plaque on the plinth saying: “Trust no-one”.
Photos: Art of the State – http://www.aots.co.uk
Santa’s Ghetto 03, London. December 2003
Santa’s Ghetto 2003 opened on 2 December in an abandoned store just off Carnaby Street in London. It contained work by Banksy, Jamie Hewlett, Mode 2, and 3D, among others. Described by Pictures on Walls as a “festive extravaganza of cheap art and related novelty goods from lowbrow artists and trained vandals”. The launch party attracted Damon Albarn of Blur, and star chef Jamie Oliver.
Photos: Wembley Pairs, Flickr
Prank at Tate Britain. London, October 2003.
On 17 October, Banksy entered Tate Britain disguised as a pensioner and stuck one of his creations in a vacant slot on one of the gallery’s walls. After a few hours, the painting Crimewatch UK Has Ruined the Countryside For All of Us, crashed to the floor, and the stunt was discovered. In his own words:
“To actually go through the process of having a painting selected must be quite boring. It’s a lot more fun to go and put your own one up. It’s all about cutting out the middle man, or the curator in the case of the Tate. I’m kinda into the message that vandalising a painting with police tape is how a lot of people see the world these days. People don’t actually see the world with Constable’s eyes with hay and rivers any more. The amount of paranoia and fear about violent crime and paedophilia makes mine a more accurate drawing of the English landscape we actually live in.”
A caption glued next to the painting read: “This new acquisition is a beautiful example of the neo post-idiotic style. Little is known about Banksy whose work is inspired by cannabis resin and daytime television.”
Turf War, London. July 2003
The show opened on 18 July and lasted for three days. Turf War displayed a great variety of genres, techniques, and styles. It marked the beginning of a string of brilliant exhibitions with a periodicity of approximately two years: Turf War in 2003, Crude Oils in 2005, Barely Legal in 2006, Banksy vs. Bristol Museum in 2009, etc. The London art critics called the exhibition one of the most interesting of the year.
Photos: http://www.artofthestate.co.uk and Benny Goh
ITV recorded this interview from the exhibitions—one of the few documented footage of a member of Team Banksy.
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BBC Radio also interviewed Banksy at the Turf War exhibition.
The interview can be heard here:
Banksy unofficial 