24 of Banksy's most clever works
Dismaland is Banksy's latest installation. The "bemusement park" is a mocking, dark spin-off of the world-famous park that bears a similar name.
Banksy's homage to Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring," trades the famous earring for a yellow alarm box.
This robot graffiti artist tagging a wall with a barcode (what else?) was part of Banky's well-publicized and shadowy residency in New York City in 2013.
Another one from Banksy's attack on New York City, this time in the Bronx, pokes fun at graffiti and its begrudging acceptance by the upper-class art world.
This one, too, from London in 2008, plays with the idea of low-brow and high-brow art, and graffiti 's place within that spectrum.
In 2007, Banksy visited Bethlehem during Christmas time to unveil six new works on the walls of the city, in an attempt to bring cheer and boost tourism.
Another from his trip to Palestine, Banksy painted this hope for the future on the Israel-Gaza barrier wall.
In this foray into sculpture in 2004, Banksy parodies Rodin's "The Thinker" statue and turns it into commentary on binge-drinking and public displays of indecency, things some would call the opposite of "thinking."
This work, from 2009, is one of many Banksy's pieces which cleverly comment on street art and its treatment by the authorities.
Here, Banksy tackles the prickly subject of global warming in a piece on the side of the Regent's Canal in London.
Not many topics are safe from Banksy's commentary. He certainly won't shy away from recent wiretapping scandals in England and abroad. This work was painted directly on the side of Britain's intelligence agency, Government Communications Headquarters.
Banksy visited New Orleans in 2008 for the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and left this piece behind.
This piece, one of his larger ones, skewers gentrification in his native England.
This one, made in San Francisco in 2010, comments on indigenous rights of native peoples whose lands have been invaded and occupied.
Banksy can have some more light-hearted fun as well, like this piece from the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.
Sometimes, Banksy can get a little out there, like the time he painted and tagged his name on this cow.
Rats have a been a reappearing motif with Banksy, as well. They always seem to be plotting some ultimate revenge.
Banksy continually questions the street art, the larger art world, and his place in it. In this piece in San Francisco, he comments on the concept that his art could be bought, sold, or displayed anywhere else but in the public eye.
In fact, Banksy's work has been in multiple museums and galleries. This painting was in "Banksy versus Bristol Museum," one of the largest single collections of the artist works, which was organized under tight security and installed in just 36 hours with only a handful of museum staff aware it was even happening.
This one, entitled "Cardinal Sin," was on display at the Walker Art Gallery in London in 2012.
Even some of his most iconic street art pieces have made it into galleries, like this famous stencil of two English police officers in a loving embrace.
All proceeds of the sale of this Banksy piece, titled "Mobile Lovers," went to help Broad Plain Boys' Club, a struggling club in Bristol, England.
It's his most iconic pieces that cement his place in history and stand the test of time. This piece was commissioned by Bono and was intended to represent a metaphor for the west's reluctance to tackle issues such as Aids in Africa.
This piece, stenciled on a wall in Bethlehem, is one of Banksy's most famous and was later chosen for the cover of a book of his work.
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