Banksy

This monograph gathers and presents the largest assemblage in one volume about the life, work, and ideas of Banksy - the world's most discussed artist of recent decades. Featuring hundreds of works - Girl with Balloon, Mickey Snake, Dismaland, Love is in the Air, Barcode, Monkey Queen -- the book includes reproductions of paintings, serigraphs, and stencils. The most iconic works are here, but so too are numerous installation objects and a selection of memorabilia all with the official approval of Pest Control, the group that manages all things Banksy. Banksy is considered the world's greatest practitioner of street art at work today. His work has always implied political critiques - of inequality, injustice, discrimination, consumerism, pollution, and the establishment. But, Banksy is a ghost -- no one knows his identity. He is an exemplary case of fame and notoriety built upon absence, anonymity, and the denial of one's explicit contribution to the public debate if not in terms of creative activism. Banksy's relationship with the art market is also complex: at the same time mocking, distant, and hostile and yet all he does is based upon a marketing logic that has proven to be among the most effective ever attempted. In short, an apparent (or real) contradiction between adhesion to the market and ferocious criticism of the market itself. This volume is published to coincide with a major traveling exhibition of over one hundred Banksy works, but it is sure to be a must have for art lovers and Banksy fans alike for years to come.

"...an important analysis and catalogue of a genius at work with a smirk on his never-seen face. The aggregate of his art is Banksy's validation and legacy. Banksy is a worthy testimonial to him and a beautiful bouquet for a legend in the making." —NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

Stefano Antonelli is a curator and researcher who is the founder and artistic director of the 999Foundation, where he created projects such as Ex Mira Lanza Museum and M.A.G.R. (Museo Abusivo Gestito dai Rom) in Rome s trendy Ostiense District and the Museo Condominiale di Tor Marancia. In 2016 he curated the first major exhibition on Banksy in Italy at the Fondazione Roma Museo. He also collaborates with institutions such as Luiss Guido Carli, La Sapienza, IULM, Roma Tre, MACRO Museo d Arte Contemporanea di Roma, and PAC in Milan. He is the author of critical essays and art catalogues, and is also a director, writer, and dramaturge. Gianluca Marziani is the director of Poetronicart, an online space providing exhibition, sales, and crowdfunding support to artists and collectors. He is also a curator of contemporary art shows that have appeared at the Festival dei Due Monde di Spoleto, the Palazzo Collicola Arti Visive, and the 2011 Venice Biennale. He has published numerous essays in prestigious publications including La Stampa, Panorama, Dagospia, and Style.

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