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Banksy began as an artist at the age of 14, was expelled from school, and served time in prison for petty crime. According to Hattenstone, "anonymity is vital to him because graffiti is illegal". [12] Banksy reportedly lived in Easton, Bristol, during the late 1990s, before moving to London around 2000. [14] [15] [16]
The following is a list of works by Banksy. Banksy , active since the 1990s, is an England-based graffiti artist , political activist and film director whose real identity is unknown. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique.
Mediterranean Sea View 2017 is a triptych of reworked oil paintings. The centerpiece is the largest, with two smaller paintings at its side. Each section depicts a 19th-century seascape with crashing waves filled with empty lifejackets and buoys floating in the water or shored on land. [6]
On 5 October 2018, a 2006 framed copy of the artwork was auctioned at Sotheby's selling for £1,042,000 – a record high for the artist. [24] Moments after the closing bid, the artwork began to self-destruct by means of a hidden mechanical paper shredder that Banksy had built into the frame bottom. [25] Only the lower half shredded.
Banksy described it as a "family theme park unsuitable for children." [3] The aesthetic of the "bemusement park" was potentially inspired by the "Dismayland" series of paintings created by American artist Jeff Gillette, who also participated in the exhibition. [4] Banksy created ten new works and funded the construction of the exhibition himself.
It was inspired by images of 1960s protests, such as Bruno Barbey photograph of the May 68 protests in France (e.g. his photograph of Boulevard Saint-Germain, 6th arrondissement, Paris, France. May 6, 1968). [2] An earlier version was originally drawn by Banksy in 1999 and presented at his first exhibition in 2000. [3]
The painting is an adaptation of Banksy's 2002 mural Girl with Balloon, rare as a unique work rather than a print. It was given by Banksy to a friend shortly after the "Barely Legal" exhibition in 2006. [5] Banksy has said he prepared the self-destruct mechanism at this time in case the work was ever put up for auction. [6]
The series was created by Banksy to cheer up the British public during a period of bleak news headlines when "light has often been harder to spot than shade" as reported by The Guardian. [1] Banksy hoped that the "uplifting works cheer people with a moment of unexpected amusement, as well as to gently underline the human capacity for creative ...