Of the numerous feats that Banksy has accomplished over the course of his career as an international artist, activist and filmmaker, perhaps the most astonishing is that while he is among the most famous figures in street art, he has managed to remain completely anonymous.
There is a method behind the madness, however. Banksy maintains that he chooses to conceal his identity to make a more democratic impact with his work, the themes of which include criticism of world leaders, consumerism and terrorism.
Although not much is known about Banksy — he sent a photo of himself with a paper bag on his head to Time magazine for a profile — it is believed that he was born in the city of Bristol, in southwest England, circa 1974. Wit, irreverence, dark humor and activism come together in his work, which spans graffiti, paintings, prints, sculptures and filmmaking. (His film, Exit Through the Gift Shop, which focuses on another street artist known as Mr. Brainwash, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2010 Academy Awards.)
Banksy began as a graffiti artist in his hometown in the early 1990s. He has found fame for his stenciled and spray-painted pieces, which are most often rooted in anti-war or antiestablishment messaging, appearing in cities such as London, New York and Los Angeles and for his “stunts” that are intended to subvert and provoke the art world. One particularly memorable stunt took place in 2018, when, as soon as one of his paintings sold at auction — Girl with a Balloon, which fetched an extraordinary $1.4 million — it self-destructed and proceeded to partially shred itself. Banksy even snuck into the Louvre and hung his own version of the Mona Lisa in 2006. Despite his elusive persona and commitment to bringing art to the masses, Banksy is one of the most coveted artists at auctions across the world.
And his work is undeniably impactful.
At a record-breaking auction organized by Damien Hirst, Bono and others to benefit AIDS charities in 2008, Banksy’s Keep It Spotless — a modified Hirst painting — fetched nearly $2 million. In May of 2020, Banksy donated Game Changer, a painting that honors UK healthcare workers, to Southampton General Hospital. When it went to auction in 2021, it sold for more than $23 million at Christie's in London. All proceeds went to the National Health Service.
Find original Banksy art for sale on 1stDibs.
$1,400Sale Price|30% Off
Banksy Forgive Us Our Trespassing (With Original Don't Panic Envelope)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Wonderful double sided print by Banksy especially made for the release of his movie. Published for Banksy by Don't Panic. Original Don't Panic (publisher) envelope that these posters...
Color
Banksquiat (Grey)
By Banksy
Located in Manchester, GB
Banksy, Banksquiat (Grey), 2019 Screenprint on grey card, hand-signed in white crayon 70 x 75 cm (27.6 x 29.5 in) Edition 52 of 300 Mint condition, accompanied with a COA from Pes...
Screen
$490Sale Price|30% Off
Dorothy Poster Banksy vs Bristol Museum (with Original POW Tube)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Beautiful and clever Banksy poster created by Banksy and published by POW for his Bristol Museum solo exhibition. Original mailing tube this poster was shipped in from Pictures on Wa...
Offset
Four Soup Cans - Gold on Cream Screen Print, Signed, 21st Century
By Banksy
Located in Bristol, GB
Screen print in colours on 250mg cartridge paper Edition 19 of 54 Signed, numbered and dated on the front Mint. Sold with COA from Pest Control
Screen
$245Sale Price|30% Off
Copper Poster Banksy vs Bristol Museum (with Original POW Tube)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Amusing Copper poster by Banksy created by Banksy for his solo show at the Bristol Museum and published by POW. Original mailing tube this poster was shipped in from Pictures on Wall...
Offset
Banksy "Cut and Run" Rat Poster Street Urban Art
By Banksy
Located in Draper, UT
Banksy "CUT AND RUN" Technique: Offset Lithograph Paper: Thick Stock Glossy Size: 16.5 X 23.4 Materials Thick glossy paper Size 23 2/5 × 16 1/2 in 59.4 × 41.9 cm Rarity Open editi...
Lithograph
Banksy Barely Legal Set of 6 Screen Prints, Unsigned, 2006, Pest Control COA
By Banksy
Located in Aventura, FL
Banksy's Barely Legal is a set of six screen prints on paper named after the Barely Legal exhibition held in 2006 in a warehouse in Los Angeles. From the unsigned edition and each numbered 59/500 (there are also 17 artist's proofs). Published by Modern Multiples Fine Art Editions, Los Angeles, with Pictures on Walls and the publisher's blindstamp. Pest Control authentication certificates included. The Barely Legal Set includes the following: Grannies (22.05 x 29.92 inches) Sale Ends (22.05 x 29.92 inches) Applause (29.92 x 44.89 inches) Trolleys (22.05 x 29.92 inches) Festival (22.05 x 29.92 inches) Morons (22.05 x 29.92 inches) About the Artist: Banksy (British, born 1974) is a contemporary street artist and activist who, despite his international fame, has maintained an anonymous identity. Aimed as a form of cultural criticism, the artist often targets established social and political agendas with his witty illustrations produced with stencils and spray paint in cities such as New Orleans, New York, and Paris. “The art world is the biggest joke,” he said. “It’s a rest home of the over privileged, the pretentious, and the weak.” Although details of the artist’s life are largely unknown, it is thought that Banksy was born in Bristol, United Kingdom, c. 1974, starting his career as a graffiti artist in the city. Better Out Than In, Banksy’s month-long residency in New York during October 2013, featured a man hawking the artist’s paintings for $60 a piece outside Central Park. In 2015, Banksy opened Dismaland Bemusement Park, a temporary art exhibition that functioned as a theme park. After a 36-day run, its workers and materials were sent to the Calais migrant camp in France to build additional housing. Among the artist's most famous stunts include his shredded painting: When a painting by Banksy was sold at auction for $1.4 million in 2018, a mechanism was triggered to cause the artwork to partially destroy itself, resulting in a new piece titled Love in the Bin (2018). The ongoing question as to who Banksy is continued to reach the headlines when in 2017 Robert Del Naja...
Paper, Screen
$595,000
Dumbo Screen Print with Hand-Finished Watercolor, Signed, 2014, Pest Control COA
By Banksy
Located in Aventura, FL
Screen print & hand-finished watercolor on paper. Hand signed and numbered by the artist. Pest Control included. Banksy’s Dumbo is an extremely rare...
Paper, Screen, Watercolor
$1,050Sale Price|30% Off
Banksy Exit Through The Gift Shop (UK Quad Movie Theater Poster)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Banksy designed this poster for his directorial debut that features him wearing a Monkey mask as he has done previously. Original UK release Quad movie theater Poster for the award w...
Offset
Banksy Peckham Rock, Color Print on Wood, Contemporary, 21st Century
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Awesome piece that depicts pre-historic figures with shopping carts. Based on the 2005 concrete sculpture of the stone Peckham Rock sculpture by Banksy. This artwork was released by...
Wood, Color
$630Sale Price|30% Off
David Poster Banksy vs Bristol Museum (with Original POW Tube)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Beautiful David poster created by Banksy for his solo show at the Bristol Museum and published by POW. Original mailing tube this poster was shipped in from Pictures on Walls (POW) L...
Offset
$525Sale Price|39% Off
Klansman Poster Banksy vs Bristol Museum (with Original POW Tube)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Powerful poster of Klansman created by Banksy for his solo show at the Bristol Museum and published by POW. Original mailing tube this poster was shipped in from Pictures on Walls (P...
Offset
Banksy Soup Cans, Lithograph (with Original POW Tube) 2006
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Banksy lithograph from 2006 that features iconic Soup Cans famously created by Andy Warhol and re-imagined here by Banksy using Tesco cans. Original mailing tube this poster was ship...
Lithograph
$203
H 15.75 in W 18.51 in D 1.38 in
Milkshakes, Parys, the Free State - Pop art color photography
By Richard Heeps
Located in Cambridge, GB
The seductive blue sky and the seductive milkshakes make you feel as if you are sitting in the car at this "Americana style" Roadhouse in Welkom, South Africa. It is typical of Richa...
Photographic Paper, C Print, Color, Silver Gelatin
Ocean View Wind Patterns, Camden Maine
By Yvonne Jacquette
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph, Edition 30. Jacquette also creates compelling images of the landscape and the sea from the air or atop hills or mountains. In this colorful print she depicts a view of the Maine...
Lithograph
Entanglement
By Clark Richert
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph, Edition 30 Richert, who was intuitively observing shadows cast by three-dimensional forms, found that one such structure – the rhombic tricontahedron – placed un...
Lithograph
$3,000
H 50 in W 38 in
Gigi: red black abstract print with poetry based on 1950s vintage movie poster
By Rene Ricard
Located in New York, NY
Touched by the influence of Andy Warhol, champion of a young Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rene Ricard served as enfant terrible of the 1980s New York art scene. This red and black lithograp...
Lithograph
Sweet Pea II
By Robert Kushner
Located in Lyons, CO
Color lithograph with metallic leaf, Edition 30 Kushner's use of rich color harmonies and bold, fluid drawing, mark his belief in the importance of beauty in our lives. Kushner ha...
Lithograph
$5,200Sale Price|20% Off
H 23.5 in W 15.5 in
"GERTRUDE Hand Drawn Lithograph, Young Black Girl Portrait, 2004"
By Samella Lewis
Located in Union City, NJ
GERTRUDE by the African American woman artist Samella Lewis, is an original hand drawn lithograph printed using hand lithography techniqu...
Lithograph
Tracey Emin - My Heart Is with You Always
By Tracey Emin
Located in London, GB
Tracey Emin My Heart is with you Always, 2015 Offset lithograph on silk-finished paper Signed by the artist, on recto 70 x 50 cm Edition of 500 Published by Emin International Trac...
Lithograph, Offset
$4,480Sale Price|20% Off
H 24.25 in W 27.5 in
The Door of Justice, Signed Lithograph, Black Lawyers and Civil Rights, 2000
By Elizabeth Catlett
Located in Union City, NJ
THE DOOR OF JUSTICE is an original, hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the highly acclaimed African-American woman artist Elizabeth Catlett, master printmaker and sculptor bes...
Lithograph
The Creative Director (Pharrell)
By Alex Katz
Located in New York, NY
Alex Katz The Creative Director (Pharrell) 2025 Silkscreen in colors on Saunders Waterford High White HP 425 gsm fine art paper 36 x 26 inches (91.5 x 66 cm) Edition of 75 Alex Katz...
Screen
$4,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 24.25 in W 27.5 in
THE DOOR OF JUSTICE Hand Signed Lithograph, Lawyer and Clients, Civil Rights
By Elizabeth Catlett
Located in Union City, NJ
THE DOOR OF JUSTICE is an original, hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the highly acclaimed African-American woman artist Elizabeth Catlett, master printmaker and sculptor bes...
Lithograph
$1,800
H 38 in W 23 in
HONKY TONK Signed Lithograph, 1996, Black Musician Collage Portrait, Guitar
By James Denmark
Located in Union City, NJ
HONKY TONK is an original hand drawn, limited edition lithograph by the African American artist James Denmark printed using traditional hand lithography techniques on archival Somers...
Lithograph
Leeward Bay
By Thomas McKnight
Located in Greenwich, CT
"Leeward Bay" is a serigraph on paper by Thomas McKnight, signed 'McKnight' lower right and numbered XIL/C lower left. From the edition of 510 (there were also 200 Arabics, 10 PPs, 7...
Paper, Screen
Banksy, Visit Historic Palestine, 2019
By Banksy
Located in Manchester, GB
Banksy, Visit Historic Palestine, 2019 Lithograph Official Walled-Off Hotel Release 2017-20 (Now Sold Out) 42 x 59 cm Stamped by the artist's estate and embossed logo in the lower left-hand corner and stamped on the verso side of the print. Accompanied with Gallery issued Certificate of Authenticity. Produced and sold at Banksy's iconic 'Walled Off Hotel' in 2019, the Banksy Palestine...
Lithograph
Banksy Peckham Rock
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Awesome piece that depicts pre-historic figures with shopping carts. Based on the 2005 concrete sculpture of the stone Peckham Rock sculpture by Banksy. This artwork was released by...
Wood, Color
Banksy, Visit Historic Palestine, 2019
By Banksy
Located in Manchester, GB
Banksy, Visit Historic Palestine, 2019 Lithograph Official Walled Off Hotel Release 2017-20 (Now Sold Out) 42 x 59 cm Stamped by the artist's estate and embossed logo in the lower left-hand corner and stamped on the verso side of the print Produced and sold at Banksy's iconic 'Walled Off Hotel' in 2019, the Banksy Palestine poster...
Lithograph
Peckham Rock
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Awesome piece that depicts pre-historic figures with shopping carts. Based on the 2005 concrete sculpture of the stone Peckham Rock sculpture by Banksy. This artwork was released by...
Wood, Color
Peckham Rock
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Awesome piece that depicts pre-historic figures with shopping carts. Based on the 2005 concrete sculpture of the stone Peckham Rock sculpture by Banksy. This artwork was released by...
Wood, Color
Flower Thrower Triptych
By Banksy
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Banksy Title: Flower Thrower Triptych Medium: Screenprinted triptych on Micron board Year: 2019 Edition: 268/300 Frame Size: 34 3/4" x 27" (left panel); 42" x 29 3/4" (centra...
Screen
Soup Cans (with Original POW Tube)
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Original mailing tube this poster was shipped in when it was purchased directly from Pictures on Walls (POW) publisher, is included. This gives the poster excellent provenance. Featu...
Lithograph
GDP Flower Thrower (Framed)
By Banksy
Located in Manchester, GB
Banksy, GDP Flower Thrower, 2019 One colour screenprint on 50 gsm paper Unframed: 57.5 x 76.5 cm (22.63 x 30.11 in) Framed: 78.5 x 97.5 cm (30.91 x 38.39 in) Limited Edition (Unkn...
Screen
Peckham Rock
By Banksy
Located in Englishtown, NJ
Based on the 2005 concrete sculpture of the stone Peckham Rock sculpture by Banksy. Banksy placed the original sculpture at the British Museum without permission with a official loo...
Wood, Color
GDP Rat
By Banksy
Located in Manchester, GB
Banksy, GDP Rat, 2019 Screenprint on 50 gsm paper 38.5 x 50.5 cm (15 1/5 x 19 9/10 in) (Unframed) Very good condition, the paper has naturally occurring waves from the screen print...
Paper, Screen
Sin título
By Banksy
Located in BARCELONA, ES
Offset lithograph by Banksy Stamped signature Hand numbered Publisher's stamped seal Certificate issued by the publisher Series of 199 copies Copy 64/199 42 x 29,7 cm
Lithograph
Nola (White Rain)
By Banksy
Located in Washington, DC
Artist: Banksy Title: Nola (White Rain) Medium: Screenprint in colors Date: 2008 Edition: 23/289 Sheet Size: 30" x 21 1/2" Framed Size: 34 1/4" x 25 1/4" Signature: Hand signed and n...
Screen