Where's Banksy?: Banksy's Greatest Works in Context

by Xavier Tapies

Wheres Banksy? fully captures the drama of this illustrious artist's exploits on the world stage with clever chronologically-arranged maps. The only survey that looks at Banksy's entire street art career, from his earliest works in 2002 through Dismaland and to the present, the book details his most significant works one piece at a time, with photos and in-depth analysis of the history of each work as well as its often-deeper meaning. A modern day Robin Hood, Banksy's public persona has grown to mythic proportions, making his actual identity irrelevant. And yet, he can be found in his art work that is recognizable and accessible stylized social commentary for the masses. This stunning new book is the ultimate introduction to the work of this brilliant artist and social pioneer.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[David Katzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

​Banksy is one of our greatest living artists. He is more than a highly skilled and clever artisan, he is also one of our great cultural critics and cultural influencers. He is a provocateur who is aggressively political and unafraid to express himself publically and illegally to boot. Most notably, he has the guts to create work on the West Bank apartheid wall that addresses the Israeli oppression of Palestinians. Sure, his illegal works could get him arrested in the U.K. but there, he could get shot. You don't see Jeff Koons installing his fake balloon animals on the wall. Just in March, he even sponsored the opening of a completely customized Banksy-themed art hotel called "The Walled Off Hotel" with the "worst view in the world" because it faces the West Bank wall. Read a great article about it in The Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/world/201... Other themes he addresses are the invasion of privacy and government spying, corporate greed and the sterility of Capitalism.

Banksy is primarily known for his stencil graffiti work, but he has developed many diverse types of public pieces, from sculpture works to performance art to pranks and stunts. He curated a satirical art show called Dismaland to mock Disneyland. He is constantly innovating and never fails to impress with his brilliant concepts...like the aforementioned hotel. It's an art action unlike any other I've heard of.

This book is a valuable collection of some of his work because it helps place the work in context and chronology. I had seen many but not all of these, and this book helps provide deeper insight into the works. Banksy often takes site very specifically into account and creates something unique that could only be where he installed it. I have picked up every Banksy book that I could get my hands on, and this one is a recommended addition to any Banksy fan or newbie to his work. In fact, it's a great place to start. What follows is a smattering of his work from this book.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned things I didn't know about Banksy from this book and I have even more respect for him now. Love the photographs of his pieces.

[Andrew Waite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great collection of images covering all of Banksy' career. There's some interesting insights and analysis of the works, but feels strongly biased by Tapies' (the author/curator's) own political perspectives - something that detracts from the works themselves.

[Cristina Martín · Rating 3 out of 5]

No está mal. Una pena las numerosas faltas de ortografía que encuentras a lo largo del libro. Entiendo que haya alguna errata, pero que haya una cada dos páginas…

[Waqar · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best reads of this year!

[Abigail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this. If you want to get a flavour of the best of Banksy, this book gives you this with timeframes and a short summary of the thinking behind some of his iconic works.
The world needs Banksy and others of his ilk.

[Susu · Rating 5 out of 5]

From "There is always hope" to Dismaland - a summary of street art pieces - including a few that do not longer exist, like the Thug Life Bunny. Summarizes the quality of work - and illustrates why the newest one gets usually gets so much coverage.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book full of many Banksy works of art and explanations of their political context.

[Anneleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heel interessant! Ik kende een hoop nog niet, dus dat was wel tof om te zien.

[Nouvel Diamant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein wunderbares Buch mit sehr schönen Abbildungen und liebevollen, hilfreichen Texten zu den Bildern, Orten und dem Künstler.

Ich werde das Buch gerne wieder in der Bibliothek ausleihen.

[Meg Coulson · Rating 3 out of 5]

5 for compilation, 3 for content, 1 for copy-editing