Banksy to NYC Hip: I'm Not There
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
MAKING THE BANK Latest Banksy, London(Photo: Getty Images)
The opening reception for the infamously aloof artist Banksy was met with mixed hipster reviews on Sunday. New Yorkers lined up around the block outside of the Vanina Holasek Gallery, waiting in the snow for admittance to the tiny, three-story space decorated in rattraps, spray-painted blood, and spectacularly priced graffiti art prints. Straight from the Bankrobber Gallery in London, the collection is speculated to be either some sort of incomprehensible ironic statement or a complete sell out that could forfeit Banksy's hard-earned street cred.
The British artist, known more for his antics than his art, smuggled his work into major museums, placed 500 copies of an imposter Paris Hilton CD in record stores, and infiltrated Disneyland, leaving behind a blow-up doll costumed as a Guantánamo Bay detainee. His star-studded fan club includes Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Kate Moss, Jude Law, and Damien Hirst.