Banksy has been in residency in New York for the last few weeks, which has irked billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg. At a press conference last week, Bloomberg said that defacing property “is not my definition of art. Or it may be art, but it should not be permitted.”
“Mayor Garcetti appreciates Banksy as an artist,” said Vicki Curry, Garcetti's spokeswoman. “But the City of L.A. will enforce the law. Under our new mural ordinance, a mural can be painted on private property if the artist or property owner secures a permit through the Department of Cultural Affairs.”
“I'm not so interested in convincing people in the art world that what I do is 'art,' ” Banksy told the Weekly in 2010. “I'm more bothered about convincing people in the graffiti community that what I do is really vandalism.”
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.