Banksy

Hanksy, the Banksy-Meets-Tom Hanks Street Artist, Tells Us the Secrets to Spoofing Celebrities

See also: *5 Artsy Things to Do in L.A. This Week *10 Best L.A. Art Galleries For Partying Banksy is so 2010. Hanksy, the similarly secretive street artist and love child of Banksy and Tom Hanks, is reaching his own level of notoriety thanks to his celeb-inspired murals, the subject of Gallery 1988 ... More >>

A New Book Looks at How Banksy Got So Big

See also: *Banksy Revealed? Our 2010 cover story on Exit Through the Gift Shop Several weeks ago, the Internet exploded with stories about a Banksy piece removed straight from a wall and later found at a

Lance Armstrong Graffiti Pops Up On Melrose; Is It Banksy's Work?

Updated at the bottom: We figured out who the artist is. First posted at 6:09 a.m. Leave it to Los Angeles, the street-art capital of the nation if not the world, to come up with graffiti satire in the wake of cyclist Lance Armstrong's doping admission. This Banksy-esque take on the controversy, a ... More >>

What Happened to Banksy's Buyers? Some of His Famous Works Flopped at L.A. Auction Last Night

Graffiti artist Banksy suffered an embarrassing evening Monday as a number of his greatest works failed to sell at a prestigious Los Angeles auction house. While his aerosol-powered contemporaries enjoyed strong sales at British auctioneers Bonham's on Sunset Blvd, Banksy's spray-painted rats receiv ... More >>

From China to Pompeii: Your Weekly Movie To-Do List

Our weekly list of special event movies to see this week: Friday, Oct. 12 Dying to take that long-overdue visit to the Getty Villa? The museum's outdoor film series, presented in conjunction with its exhibition "The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection," might just be the great ... More >>

Mr. Brainwash's 'Art Show 2011' Gets Populism Right

photo by Nanette GonzalesMr. Brainwash's "Art Show 2011"​ Update: Show has been extended, and will be open one more day, on Jan. 8. Doors open at 2 p.m. Location is 960 N. La Brea Ave. At "Art Show 2011," equivocal street artist Mr. Brainwash's 80,000 square-foot feat, Mr. Brainwash sat at a ... More >>

Top 10 Street Art and Graffiti Stories of 2011

Shannon CottrellJR in L.A.​Yes, year-end lists. Not even street art is exempt. But hey, 2011 was a banner year for the Los Angeles street art and graffiti communities, as they enjoyed plenty of worldwide attention. LA Weekly put together the ten L.A.-related street art and graffiti stories th ... More >>

Banksy at Occupy London: See the Street Artist's Monopoly Sculpture Before It Got Vandalized

Colin Young-Wolff​Angelenos aren't strangers to the works of British street artist Banksy. His participation in MOCA's street art show was a (predictably secret) given, and the man plastered L.A. during the run-up to the Oscars, inspiring residents of Westwood Village to petition for his works ... More >>

Don't Call Him Country. Everlast is Hip-Hop, Dammit.

Brandon Turner​Everlast's new album, Songs of the Ungrateful Living, sounds like the kind of record a good ol' boy might play in Alabama while sittin' on the porch and sippin' beer. The former house of Pain frontman is in working-class-hero mode, singing in a gravel-road bass about fooling aro ... More >>

Mr. Brainwash Invites You to Participate in his Latest Exhibit/Party, 'Art Show 2011'

Shannon CottrellThe site of Mr. Brainwash's upcoming show​ As if traffic along the La Brea corridor isn't already bad enough, L.A.'s beloved street artist Mr. Brainwash -- who first got attention through our cover story and later through the documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop -- is staging ... More >>

'L.A. VS. WAR' Exhibit: Less of a '9/11 Tribute,' More of a 'Circle-Jerk of Tired Grievances'

​ For more photos check out our slideshow: "L.A. vs. War II" Equally as superficial and reductive as its title, the "L.A. VS. WAR" exhibition in The Vortex last weekend was a hollow chorus of misdirected angst. Less a commemoration of 9/11 as it was a circle-jerk of tired grievances common to ... More >>

Banksy iPhone App Hits the Apple Store

​ Tech geeks and street art fans, take note: a Banksy iPhone app has just hit the virtual racks of the Apple Store. It's a beautifully-crafted gallery tool that allows you to immerse yourself in the World of Banksy -- and maybe soon, it'll even allow you to catch him in the act. Though it see ... More >>

Judge Rules Run-DMC Photo, Used by L.A. Street Artist Mr. Brainwash, Protected by Copyright Law: What Will It Mean for Fair Use?

PHOTO BY GREGORY BOJORQUEZMr. Brainwash just got busted.​Forget the Shepard Fairey case. Music photographer Glen E. Friedman's lawsuit against Mr. Brainwash, the street artist profiled alongside Banksy in Oscar-nominated doc "Exit Through the Gift Shop," is the one to watch for legal fair-use ... More >>

Banksy Sponsors Free Mondays at MOCA's 'Art in the Streets' Exhibition

Ted SoquiBanksy really feels L.A.​We wouldn't blame Banksy if he hated L.A. After all, we took down his art, stole it and covered it up during his stay in our fine city in winter in the weeks leading up to (and after) the Academy Awards (where his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop was up ... More >>

Canlove Answers the Question: Where Do Street Artists' Spray Paint Cans Go to Die?

Lea LionCanlove founders Paul Ramirez (left) and DJ Neff​ When the mysterious British street artist Banksy left an image of a young boy holding a paint can next to the words "I remember when all this was trees" on the abandoned Packard Plant in Detroit last year, some fans interpreted it as an ... More >>

Mr. Brainwash Strikes Again! New Piece Sets Venue for His First L.A. Show Since Exit Through the Gift Shop

Shannon Cottrell​ Consider yourself warned. Mr. Brainwash, aka Thierry Guetta, the real guy/fake artist star of Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop is bringing another of his art shows to Los Angeles, and, as evidenced by the new explosion of wheatpaste and red paint on the corner of La Brea a ... More >>

Illegal Immigrants Paid $2.7 Billion in Taxes in California Last Year

Banksy's 'Caution' warns of a taxpayer invasion.​As you nurse your tax-day hangover, we bring you news from the flip side. Despite what Lou Dobbs might have told you, turns out illegal immigrants do pay taxes. Lots of them. The Immigration Policy Center, citing the Institute for Taxation and ... More >>

Street Art at MOCA

How Jeffrey Deitch convinced an outlaw art movement to show itself for the landmark retrospective “Art in the Streets”

Banksy Revealed as Man Caught on Camera Having Nude Sex Atop USC High-Rise

imgur.comIt's Banksy.​The true identity of British street artist Banksy, who graced L.A. with his work in the weeks leading up to the Academy Awards last month, has been a topic of debate, and no one, it seems, is 100 percent sure who he is. Well, in an LA Weekly exclusive, we can tell you th ... More >>

Banksy's 'Elephant' Tank Artwork in L.A. Was Home to a Man Named Tachowa Covington

Ted SoquiBanksy's 'Elephant.'​You can live in art (architect R.M. Schindler's work is often an object of desire in L.A.) if you have the means. But for an otherwise homeless guy named Tachowa Covington, artful shelter came to him for free. And then it was taken away. Turns out that Banksy-t ... More >>

Was Banksy's Sunset Blvd Billboard 'Livin' the Dream' Really Just a Slick Advertisement?

Ted SoquiBanksy's 'Livin' the Dream.'​Update: A spokeswoman for the billboard advertiser says it ain't so, after the jump. Was Banksy's "Livin' the Dream" billboard art all an inside job? That's the report being echoed in blogland this week following the British artist's whirlwind tour of L. ... More >>

Valuable Banksy Public Art Piece in Malibu Towed Away, to be Sold?

Ted SoquiBanksy's 'Elephant' as it once stood in Malibu.​It looks like another Banksy piece from his days in L.A. for the Academy Awards has bitten the dust. But at least this one might ultimately be saved:

Banksy's Valuable 'Crayon Soldier' Piece in Westwood Removed

Pia MiaBanksy has left town.​Banksy has left the building and so has much of his art, seems like. After his art was spotted on the back of a Westwood Urban Outfitters last month in the weeks ahead of the Academy Awards, where the Brit vied unsuccessfully for a best documentary Oscar, a Facebo ... More >>

Valuable Banksy Street Art Stolen From East Los Angeles Wall (Photos)

Ted SoquiBanksy's 'Caution.'​Photos by Ted Soqui. British guerrilla artist Banksy was robbed, and it wasn't at the Academy Awards, where is Exit Through the Gift Shop documentary was nominated but didn't win Sunday. No, another one of his pieces around L.A. was taken down. But this one appea ... More >>

#Banksy and the #Oscars: Our Fave Tweets About the Artist and the Big Show Are More Entertaining Than James Franco

OK MagazineBanksy?​Banksy seemed to get more positive buzz from the Oscars on Sunday than James Franco. And the artist wasn't even there. After a few weeks in L.A. in which the British wall painter saw his work taken down, stolen and vandalized, it was only fitting that he would then be dis ... More >>

Banksy Gets Uninvited to Oscars: Will He Show Anyway?

Pia MiaBanksy gets vandalized.​Banksy has had his L.A. artwork vandalized and even taken down and crumpled up like trash, and now he must endure a non-invitation to the Academy Awards, where his documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, is up for an Oscar. The news, broken at The Wrap and The ... More >>

Banksy Boy-With-Gun Art in Westwood Vandalized; Singer Pia Mia Has the Photos

Pia MiaBanksy's boy soldier gets splashed with paint.​Looks like the latest twist for British guerrilla artist Banksy is Friday night/Saturday morning vandalism for his attention-getting boy-with-a-gun piece in Westwood. Teen singer Pia Mia, who has taken to serenading the work behind a Westw ... More >>

Banksy in L.A: 14-Year-Old Singer Pia Mia Serenades Banksy Artwork in Westwood (Video)

YouTubePia Mia sings for Banksy.​British guerrilla artist Banksy has stirred up quite a whirlwind of media, emotion and debate over his street pieces, spotted around L.A. recently in advance of his shot at an Academy Award for Exit Through the Gift Shop. A crowd gathered and hurumphed earlier ... More >>

Six-Figure Banksy Piece Ripped From Sunset Boulevard Billboard Just Not Good Enough For CBS Outdoor

Ted SoquiBanksy is just not CBS Outdoor material.​Banksy might be a world-renowned street artist whose work can fetch six-figure prices. But don't tell that to CBS Outdoor, the advertising company that ripped the Brit's "Livin' the Dream" piece from a billboard above Sunset and Crescent Heigh ... More >>

Banksy Art Worth Six Figures Ripped Down From Sunset Boulevard Billboard, Crumpled Up in a Ball

MELROSEandFAIRFAXBanksy blasts L.A.​Update: Video of the take-down added after the jump. British guerrilla artist Banksy has quietly been ninja-footing through town, putting up his signature images in the days before the Academy Awards, where his Exit Through the Gift Shop is up for an Oscar. ... More >>

Banksy Facebook Protest Erupts to Protect Westwood Graffiti Art (New Photos)

Ted SoquiBanksy's telltale work in Westwood.​Photos by Ted Soqui L.A. art lovers are banding together on Facebook in an attempt to prevent the removal of another Banksy piece in the city. This after ...

The 2010 Village Voice/L.A. Weekly Film Poll

From best to worst, the results are in

Street Cred, 90210

Steve Lazarides opens up shop in Beverly Hills

Street Cred, 90210

Former Banksy gallerist Steve Lazarides opens up shop in Beverly Hills

Movie Reviews: Exit Through the Gift Shop, Handsome Harry

Also, Letters to God, The Joneses, Who Do You Love and more

Hanky Banksy

Faux Hookers, Bartending Kids at Banksy Premiere

​ Exit Through the Gift Shop, the documentary starring (and apparently detourned by) street artist Banksy, had its LA premiere last night at the grand old Los Angeles Theater in Downtown LA. In our cover story this week, Banksy himself claimed that "the plan for the American premiere is to sur ... More >>

Banksy Revealed?

The Zorro of street art talks about his new film, Los Angeles and, of course, Mr. Brainwash

Banksy, The Movie

​Tomorrow's LA Weekly cover story focuses on mysterious street artist Banksy, who is the star and quasi-director of the new documentary, Exit at the Gift Shop, which opens in LA on April 16. Below the jump, you'll find a short trailer for that film, as well as a five minute preview.

L.A. 'Street Artist' Mr. Brainwash Takes Manhattan (With a Velvet Rope, Of Course)

By Barbara Celis David Bowie, U2, Madonna, and the Rolling Stones. What could they possibly be doing together in the Meatpacking district of New York yesterday? Just hanging out at a party with Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Damien Hirst and Barack Obama. Kind of. Slash, by Mr. Brainwash​ They we ... More >>

Alphabetical Art

Record Reviews: Koushik's Out My Window, Black Ghosts' self-titled debut

Also, Final Solution's Brotherman soundtrack, Look Daggers' Suffer in Style

Mr. Brainwash Bombs L.A.

A DIY art spectacle only money and moxie could buy

Blek le Rat Stencils up in Silver Lake

French graffiti forefather Blek le Rat is in town for his upcoming gallery show at Subliminal Projects. Photos by Clare O'Callaghan Click here for more. On Saturday Blek painted two pieces on the walls of the Living Room furniture store in Silver Lake on Sunset Blvd. Blek began using stenci ... More >>

Banksy Back in LA?

Bobby S. saw and snapped this on Melrose near the New Beverly on the site of a previous Banksy piece. Check out his bigger picture and write-up here on his blog kitsunenoir.com Photo property of kitsunenoir.com

Banksy in Bethlehem

BBC has a video report posted on Youtube about Banksy pieces showing up in Bethlehem. There's even a brief phone interview with the artist and a couple of decent images of his works on the walls that divide the city. However, BBC won't let the video be embedded, so you'll have to visit the site ... More >>

Laughing All the Way to the Banksy

Lisa D'Amato Likes Balls, Jason Bentley "Not Sure" About Elephants

I wasn't at Banksy's Barely Legal opening party last night, but I did bump in to OBEY artist Shepard Fairey later on at La Cita downtown, and he told me all about it. He said that it was 'amazing' (not an unexpected response from Fairey, who believes Banksy to be one of the most important ... More >>

Absolute ****

Beware, it’s Banksy Updated with location of Los Angeles show

Hooked on Sonics