Artist Banksy Sells Art For Cheap

Street artist Banksy sold original canvases on the streets of New York City on Saturday, October 12. This wouldn't be strange for a typical graffiti artist, but Banksy's artwork has made him a celebrity in his own right. Pieces have a track record of selling six-figures, each, not $60. But this weekend wasn't a typical weekend in Central Park. Banksy posted a video on his website, entitled Art Sale, where an old man set up a stall of black, spray-paint canvasas. From 11:15 a.m. to 6 p.m. many walkers past the stall by. The first sale was at 3:30 p.m. -- two small canvases a mother bought for her children. There were some other customers. A New Zealand woman bought two; a Chicago man, four. By the end of the day, all the art sales didn't even scratch the surface of what his average going-rate is. 

The spray-paint images are somewhat reminscent of prior works, depicted on buildings around the world and in photographs from his self-published books. Banksy clearly states on his website, "This was a one off. The stall will not be there again today." We can trust this statement is true. No stands were reported around the area the next day. That's not to say a stall of this sort will never pop up again. 

Today on his site "Better Out Than In," he is already on a new topic, posting a new image and quoting Kelly Rowland on The X Factor, "I'm just going to use that hostility to make me stronger, not weaker." This was in reference to critics of his own, for using "low brow sources," such as a piece of artwork showcasing a quote from the movie "Gladiator."

In a time where we can quickly identify the celebrities admired among us, Banksy has remained of unconfirmed identity, save for the fact that Banksy hails from England. Even his latest art sale is another demonstration of the ways he gets people to think about celebrities and art, in societies and on a global scale.