Banksy"s Books
For those who do not know him, Banksy is an artist.
He is anonymous and reveals himself through his art.
His street paintings, which can be stunning works of art, more often than not convey satirical messages as does the social commentary he writes - on walls.
He combines humor with graffiti applying stencils in a unique way.
He uses the streets, walls and even bridges as his canvas.
Banksy seems to travel quite a bit.
His works of art can be found all over the world.
Many have embraced his ideas and he is fast becoming a cult figure.
Hailing from the so-called Bristol underground scene, he now has internet followers worldwide.
They get together in groups and forums to discuss the man and his ideas.
His popularity is ever growing.
Anything written by and about this artist seems to spawn debate.
Banksy has also published several books through the years.
The initial ones were self-published works.
In it he reveals a little of himself but focuses much more on his paintings, social commentary and graffiti.
The first of his books appeared in 2001.
It is called Banging Your Head against a Brick Wall.
This is a true collector's piece.
It was printed completely in black and white.
It contains pictures of many of his works spray painted on walls all over the world.
Banksy was still very much a nobody when he produced these works.
City authorities got rid of them as they were discovered by scrubbing them off or painting over them.
The book also contains some writings by Banksy, words he used to first introduce himself and his ideas to the world.
This book was also an outlet for him to express criticism against the mainstream art world.
It is, according to one reviewer, a "wonderful and witty" work.
His second book, also self-published, is called Existencilism and appeared in 2002.
This book is in color and in it Banksy's unique sense of humor is more evident than in his previous work.
It contains photographs of street art from Barcelona, London and San Francisco.
It also contains original drawings and paintings.
By this time Banksy was a well known name in the art world and his next book was eagerly awaited.
He called it Cut it Out, and it was published in 2004 in full color.
Reviewers differ about this book.
One calls it his best, containing what he calls the "Banksy raw street art"; while another feels that the book is too much like the previous ones.
Wall and Piece, a book that appeared in 2005, is the first to be published by a major publisher, Random House in hard cover.
It is a collection of old and new work by Banksy.
This book contains social commentary and graffiti showing the unquestionable wit of the author.
The book has 192 pages, making it his longest book to date.
Several other authors have also published books on Banksy.
His works and fame are fast spreading and he is a force to be reckoned with in the art world.
Whatever you may think of this controversial artist, his talent is undeniable.
Without Banksy, the art world would be a poorer place.
He is anonymous and reveals himself through his art.
His street paintings, which can be stunning works of art, more often than not convey satirical messages as does the social commentary he writes - on walls.
He combines humor with graffiti applying stencils in a unique way.
He uses the streets, walls and even bridges as his canvas.
Banksy seems to travel quite a bit.
His works of art can be found all over the world.
Many have embraced his ideas and he is fast becoming a cult figure.
Hailing from the so-called Bristol underground scene, he now has internet followers worldwide.
They get together in groups and forums to discuss the man and his ideas.
His popularity is ever growing.
Anything written by and about this artist seems to spawn debate.
Banksy has also published several books through the years.
The initial ones were self-published works.
In it he reveals a little of himself but focuses much more on his paintings, social commentary and graffiti.
The first of his books appeared in 2001.
It is called Banging Your Head against a Brick Wall.
This is a true collector's piece.
It was printed completely in black and white.
It contains pictures of many of his works spray painted on walls all over the world.
Banksy was still very much a nobody when he produced these works.
City authorities got rid of them as they were discovered by scrubbing them off or painting over them.
The book also contains some writings by Banksy, words he used to first introduce himself and his ideas to the world.
This book was also an outlet for him to express criticism against the mainstream art world.
It is, according to one reviewer, a "wonderful and witty" work.
His second book, also self-published, is called Existencilism and appeared in 2002.
This book is in color and in it Banksy's unique sense of humor is more evident than in his previous work.
It contains photographs of street art from Barcelona, London and San Francisco.
It also contains original drawings and paintings.
By this time Banksy was a well known name in the art world and his next book was eagerly awaited.
He called it Cut it Out, and it was published in 2004 in full color.
Reviewers differ about this book.
One calls it his best, containing what he calls the "Banksy raw street art"; while another feels that the book is too much like the previous ones.
Wall and Piece, a book that appeared in 2005, is the first to be published by a major publisher, Random House in hard cover.
It is a collection of old and new work by Banksy.
This book contains social commentary and graffiti showing the unquestionable wit of the author.
The book has 192 pages, making it his longest book to date.
Several other authors have also published books on Banksy.
His works and fame are fast spreading and he is a force to be reckoned with in the art world.
Whatever you may think of this controversial artist, his talent is undeniable.
Without Banksy, the art world would be a poorer place.
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