Pranks

An important part of Banksy’s overall narrative is expressed in the pranks. There are at least 15 pranks, four of them in one single day at different museums in New York: 

  • 17 Sept 2003, London. Banksy entered Tate Britain disguised as a pensioner where he stuck one of his own creations in a vacant slot on one of the gallery’s walls.
  • 7 April 2004, London. Banksy entered the Natural History Museum disguised as an employee, carrying a taxidermic rat in a glass-fronted box which he mounts on a wall in one of the main halls.
  • August 2004, London. Banksy dropped 100,000 fake 10-pound notes at the Notting Hill Carnival and a few weeks later at Reading Festival north of London
  • October 2004, Paris. Banksy entered the Louvre and hangs his version of Mona Lisa.
  • 13 March 2005, New York. Banksy hanged his work in four New York museums: MoMA, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum and American Museum of Natural History.
  • May 2005, London. Banksy installed his “Peckham Rock” sculpture in the British Museum 
  • 4 Sept 2006, London. Banksy doctored 500 copies of Paris Hiltons debut CD, which he places in 48 different record shops in the  London area.
  • 8 Sept 2006, Los Angeles. Banksy placed an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo Bay detainee on the premises of Disneyland.
  • 27 June 2010, Glastonbury Festival (40 km south of Bristol). A member of Team Banksy received Prince Charles with a “Drugs  for Sale” placard and shouted “Charlie, Charlie – have a taster”
  • 2 Nov 2017, Bethlehem. Banksy commemorates the 100 years since the Balfour declaration with a ceremony outside the Walled Off Hotel with a fake Queen Elizabeth II as the protagonist.
  • 5 Oct 2018, London. Shredding at Sotheby’s.
  • 22 May 2019, Venice, Italy . Banksy mounts a portable stand during the Venice Bienalle selling a multi framed piece depicting a giant cruise-ship. He is evicted by the Italian police after a few hours it seems.

With the exception of the prank at Louvre and the Venice Biennale, all of the pranks have happened on the before mentioned axis Palestine – London – Bristol (Glastonbury) – New York – Los Angeles

17 Sept 2003, London. Banksy entered Tate Britain:

Finding the slot
Hanging his work
Mission accomplished

7 April 2004, London. Banksy entered the Natural History Museum:

August 2004: Banksy drops 100,000 false 10 pound notes at Notting Hill Carnival and a few weeks later at Reading Festival:

October 2004, Paris. Banksy enters the Louvre and hangs his version of Mona Lisa:

Banksy at work
Mona Lisa with a smiley

13 March 2005, New York. Banksy hangs his work in four New York museums: MoMA, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum and American Museum of Natural History:

Graffiti Lord at Brooklyn Museum
Metropolitan Museum
Banksy hanging woman w gas mask
Tesco soup at MoMA
Banksy at Natural History Museum, New York
Natural History Museum

May 2005, London. Banksy installed his “Peckham Rock” sculpture in the British Museum:

4 Sept 2006, London. Banksy doctored 500 copies of Paris Hiltons debut CD, which he places in 48 different record shops in the  London area:

8 Sept 2006, Los Angeles. Banksy placed an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo Bay detainee on the premises of Disneyland:

27 June 2010, Glastonbury Festival (40 km south of Bristol). A member of Team Banksy received Prince Charles with a “Drugs  for Sale” placard and shouted “Charlie, Charlie – have a taster”:

2 Nov 2017, Bethlehem. Banksy commemorates the 100 years since the Balfour declaration with a ceremony outside the Walled Off Hotel with a fake Queen Elizabeth II as the protagonist:

5 Oct 2018, London. Shredding at Sotheby’s:

22 May 2019, Venice, Italy . Banksy mounts a portable stand during the Venice Bienalle selling a multi framed piece depicting a giant cruise-ship. He is evicted by the Italian police after a few hours it seems: