YouTubeThe fact that Banksy, the elusive street artist known for his graffiti artwork, has managed to keep his identity a secret in the age of the Internet may be his biggest work of art to date.
Especially since he has all of New York on high alert right now: Banksy is in the midst of an art series, "Better Out Than In," in which he does a piece of artwork a day ("elaborate graffiti, large scale street sculpture, video installation or substandard performance art") in the streets of NYC.
Still, he managed to pull one over on New Yorkers, when he set up a stand near Central Park "selling 100% authentic original signed Banksy canvases. For $60 each." (Quite the discount, considering Banksy pieces have sold for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands.)
In an exclusive interview with The Village Voice earlier this month, Banksy claimed, "I know street art can feel increasingly like the marketing wing of an art career, so I wanted to make some art without the price tag attached."
But at the end of the day, Banksy reports that he made $420, with only a few people stopping to buy pieces "for their kids" or "just to have something to hang on the walls," the rest most likely assuming they were knockoffs. Little did any of them know.
For those hoping to snatch up a Banksy original on the cheap? "Please note: This was a one off. The stall will not be there again today," Banksy wrote on his website.
We have a feeling people will start buying more Banksy knockoffs though. Just in case.
Another piece, Sirens of the Lambs has been getting quite a bit of attention. Banksy says it's "a slaughterhouse delivery truck touring the meatpacking district and then citywide for the next two weeks."
The truck is stuffed with stuffed animals and is as cute as it is nightmarish.