The canvases, the prints, all the "proper art" I´ve made doesn´t matter.
Only the the streetwork will last.
Banksy quote - Banksy / Cut & Run GoMA Catalogue 2024.
Over the past 15 years, we have specialized in Banksy's street works, in contrast to his studio works, which are essentially mainly derivatives of his street art and which are conceived in a controlled studio environment. It is precisely the artist's street works that are the very essence of the artist's work and what has defined him as probably the most significant artist of our time. The artist himself has stated on several occasions that his studio works are just souvenirs. Copies of the real works that were originally made on the street, in friends' apartments and so on.
(Please note that almost nothing is for sale as most works are part of our private collection.) Availability upon request. No commissions. We do not represent the artist. A large number of the works are continuously loaned to international museums and events. The collection dates back to 2004.
All non studio works are to be considered as "attributed" to. It means to consider as made by the one indicated especially with the strong evidence but in the absence of 100 % conclusive proof. Same goes for barter traded works, gifted works from the artist. Works left behind at sites, in friends apartments in the early years and so on.
Valuart epsiode #4. Owner Peter Hvidberg. Episode available on Spotify.
Banksy (British, born July 28, 1973) is one of the most well-known, if anonymous, street artists working today. Banksy, the pseudonym adopted by the artist, guards his privacy and the details of his life remain largely unknown to the public. He initially garnered fame for his graffiti, which combines spray paint and stenciling techniques with commercial, political, and contemporary imagery, infused with ironic social commentary and humor. His work first began appearing on walls in and around Bristol and London’s Shoreditch district during the mid-1990s, and he has since gone on to place images on the sides of corporate buildings, billboards, and the Israeli West Bank wall.
The unveiling of a new Banksy works often incorporates pranks or performance. For example, he secretly added his own pieces in museums like the Tate Modern in London or the Paris Louvre, smuggling them in under a coat and discreetly affixing them to a wall. He has also opened gallery shows to the public with specially bred rats running around the space, and once inserted an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo Bay prisoner into the Disneyland theme park in California.
He lives and works in England and USA.
Bansky is a street artist, not a print or studio artist. He is famous for his Street Work. Imaging if the Paintings of Rembrandt were worth only $50,000 and his prints (which there are thousands of) were worth millions. One would say the world is upside down. A print is nothing more than a poster, printed in a limited amount, so what if the artist has scribbled his name on it. A poster is a poster. Seasoned collectors should be much happier with an original street or street related early piece on their wall than a poster. As we would consider, your poster inferior to the original.
A wonderful early Banksy letter calling his own studio works and lithos for souvenirs. The real works are done on the streets...
"Hello. My name is Banksy, I’m a graffiti writer from Bristol. This in an exhibition of stencils I normally use for painting around town on other peoples property. These are some of my favourite hits from the past years or so.
How would I describe graffiti ? As the only true artwork we have left. Graffiti is honest and direct and beautiful. Even ugly graffiti. Has e beautiful side to it - even ugly graffiti says fuck you - you haven’t ground the life out of me yet.
As far as the show goes I wouldn’t make any great claims for these paintings. They’re just graffiti tags. The paintings are like souvenirs of street hits. They’re like the tea-towels or the souvenir mugs of the real thing on the streets."...
The reality is that those works exist. They are the best. And there are many. They are with collectors, traders, former Banksy friends, current Banksy friends, people who know nothing about art but who have had them in the living room for 20 years. These are the most important and strongest works in our opinion.
Nothing should be easier than to ask the artist himself. But as we all know he has up to this date declined to authenticate any work that is not a studio print or a studio canvas. Not a single.
That´s his choice.
According to a professor of art history at the state university of New York (board member of more than one important artist estate) “one of the most valuable forms of documentary evidence available to art historians is statements by those who knew the artist and observed him work, especially in the time the artwork in question was being made.
And that´s exactly what we have done. Working with the people that were close to Banksy in the early days. Friends, helpers, business associates, creative people, art directors and so on. Reality is that many of these people had or still has important works by Banksy. But with no possibility of getting them "authenticated" they enter the secondary market for real works by Banksy (and the most important works) but with no “COA”.
With artist Ben Eine, Banksys printer for more than ten years.
Donkey Documents, 2007. The work featured on Banksy´s website same year.
Peter Hvidberg & Ian Ellis visiting Phillips Auction.
Here with my "Bomb Hugger" that was depicted in Basingstoke Gazette on March 24th 2003.
With Richard Hessink, author of "Catalogue Raisonné of Banksy's Street Art" at MACA Museum in Copenhagen, September 2024.
"Pest Control Office" (PCO) is Banksy´s official organ. They do not "authenticate" any street or street related work.
We strongly advise clients and potential future clients to stay away from street works allegedly made by Banksy listed on mainly online auctions where the identity of the consignor is hidden to the buyer. Many fakes with slim stories are being sold through small auction houses affiliated with the bigger platforms. Then again, we purchased "Donkey Documents" and the Basingstoke "Bomb Hugger" on eBay :-) with loads of documentation that is.
Street pieces are sold as described. Attributed to Banksy. When a work bears the BANKSY spray tag it is considered a signature and hence not attributed but by the artist. One thing to look out for is the tag signature. Banksy left it out quite early on the street pieces. People recognized the name and brought the pieces home. So, if you see a work with slim history, no really proven provenance, no timeline and with the Banksy tag it´s very likely a fake.
Ben Hanley former Senior Specialist, Impressionist, Modern and Post War & Contemporary Art for Artnet Auctions:
"We are concerned with Pest Control’s refusal to deal with street works, but its policies have created a situation whereby collectors want and perceive they need certificates of authentication before buying anything. "There is a significant body of Banksy street pieces on the market, and these are the most important works Banksy ever created -- they are the seminal pieces and they exist -- this is a fact."
In 2007 a group of auction house specialists and exclusive dealers formed an independent authentication and certification service, dedicated to cataloguing Banksy’s "Street Works". Authentication was based on the professional opinion and rigorous research of VERMIN´s Board of Experts. Collectors and dealers were invited to submit their Banksy "Street Works" for possible authentication. If authenticity could be proved beyond doubt by documenting the works proven history, it was given a VERMIN certificate. All works and their proven provenance was available for public examination and published on the internet. This process was to help protect against future fakes and will provide the single most comprehensive guide to surviving works, creating an invaluable tool for collectors, auction houses and dealers alike...
Vermin´s primary aim was to provide a necessary and valuable record of all the pieces that has survived the streets and by right of ownership and visual integrity deserve to be recognized in their own right. Sadly, whilst much of the artist´s early work has found its way into our city´s collective consciousness, relatively few pieces have survived, those that have should be recognized for the iconic foundation stones they are.
VERMIN was in no way associated with the artist known as Banksy and as such is uniquely placed to provide this service without risk of prejudicing the artist to possible prosecution for vandalism.
Did Banksy approve of this service? No.
Banksy´s "Street Works" are the pieces which the artist created clandestinely on the streets and without permission at the beginning of his career as a graffiti artist. Neither the artist nor any body associated with him is free to authenticate these works without the risk of opening the artist up to potential prosecution for vandalism....
As these works are without doubt the most important pieces the artist has created and are seminal to both his development of the Urban Art movement as a whole, it is essential that their authenticity be addressed at this early stage to protect them from loss so that their true importance can be recognized.
VERMIN 2007.
On February the 15th 2003 a large Anti-War Demo took place in London. The war on Iraq started on March 20th, 2003 only 5 weeks after the demo.
Banksy created several "Placards". Mostly cardboards with sprayed stencil images on. MultiplesInc Projects has conducted a lengthy and thorough investigation into the placards. Mainly because we were able to acquire the ONLY original "Bomb Hugger" with 100 % proof it was Banksy. The placard was depicted in Basingstoke Gazette with a protester holding the placard. This is important because the placard gives evidence to which others could possibly be genuine. Our guess is that a lot of the placards on the market are fakes. Nothing to do with Banksy and nothing to do with the 2003 Anti War March.
Placard from 2003. 100 % proven as Banksy. Sold now to a collector in Copenhagen.
Original placard. Where abouts unknowm. Probably destroyed.
Fake placard "FRAGILE" version on Cornette St. Cyr. It has many pointers to a fake. We will not reveal all. The most obvious of course is that the word "FRAGILE" is stencilled. The ones Banksy used during the demo were pre printed with the word FRAGILE from the cardboard provider (not stencilled). Banksy just placed the stencil so the word FRAGILE would be visible and interact with the preprinted cardboard. See Next photo for a proven one. And of course proven provenance is all.
Spot the Banksy your self.
Terrible fake.
Fake. Clearly an attempt to photo manipulate a fake into a contemporary photo from the 2003 demo.
Below a photo of a "Happy Choppers" as seen in Banksy´s "Wall & Piece".
And below here a "Happy Choppers" recently on auction. Notice the extreme likeness. At first we thought this was the actual work as seen in "Wall and Piece". But compare the A in WAR. Not the same. And there are other differences. This does not mean the auction piece is wrong. But it means it´s NOT the one in the book. Maybe an attempt to look like the actual one? It has the exact same folds. Same top etc.
