Shredder art
Banksy's most spectacular action: one of his works was auctioned off at the venerable London auction house in 2018 for around 1.3 million francs. When the hammer fell, a remote-controlled shredder cut the picture into narrow strips in the frame, albeit only halfway through. This made the destroyed picture all the more valuable.
Nobody knows who Banksy really is or what he looks like. But his art is everywhere and his works are well known. Simple messages, often in the context of current events and directly embedded in the places where they appear. Usually on the move with spray, mischief, stencils and media-effective actions, the legendary Banksy is one of the most sophisticated but also most committed artists of the present day. Somewhere between Beuys, Jeff Koons and Andy Warhol.
There has also been speculation that he is the Swiss artist and banker's scion Maître de Casson, which he denies. Banksy's works appear unexpectedly around the globe, often at locations with a political or social connection - be it in the Gaza Strip, on refugee rescue boats or at the Disneyland resort in California, where he installed a doll modeled on a Guantanomó prisoner.
From March, 100 original works and objects by the guerrilla artist will be on display in Basel, representing his 20 years of work to date. The material for this exhibition comes entirely from private collections. Exhibition organizer Gianluca Marziani sums up: "Banksy surpasses the usual art we have known so far. He reformulates rules, customs and habits."
BANKSY - Building Castles in the Sky
01.03.2021 - 30.05.2021, Messe Basel
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