Will Ellsworth-Jones

For someone who shuns the limelight by concealing his real name, never showing his face and never giving interviews except by email, Banksy is remarkably famous. In his home town of Bristol, in Los Angeles, in London, in New York, where there is a Banksy exhibition there is always a queue - often three hours long. His book of his art, Wall and Piece, has sold over a quarter of a million copies. Such is the commercial value of his work that people have hacked an entire wall off a building because it bears some of his graffiti. His popularity is such that councils who in the past saw him as a vandal whose work should be washed off the streets now hurry to protect it. But who is this man; how did he become what he is now; what makes him tick? How far can we get to know and understand someone who goes to such lengths to keep his distance from us? Now, in first ever biography of Banksy, Will Ellsworth-Jones pieces together Banksy's life and builds up a picture of the world in which he operates. He talks to both his friends and enemies, those who knew him in his early un-noticed days and those who have watched him try to come to terms with his new-found fame and fortune, and asks what, ultimately, this enigmatic character and his life's work add up to.

For someone who shuns the limelight so completely that he conceals his name, never shows his face and gives interviews only by email, Banksy is remarkably famous. From his beginnings as a Bristol graffiti artist, his artwork is now sold at auction for six-figure sums and hangs on celebrities' walls. The appearance of a new Banksy is national news, his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop was Oscar-nominated and people queue for hours to see his latest exhibition. Now more National Treasure than edgy outsider, who is Banksy and how did he become what he is today? In the first attempt to tell the full story of Banksy's life and career, Will Ellsworth-Jones pieces together a picture of his world and unpicks its contradictions. Whether art or vandalism, anti-establishment or sell-out, Banksy and his work have become a cultural phenomenon and the question 'Who is Banksy?' is as much about his career as it is 'the man behind the wall'. 'Britain's unlikeliest national treasure' Independent 'A fascinating portrait that elicits admiration for a man who, despite his increasingly unconvincing efforts to retain some shred of his vandal status, has had an undeniable impact on art' The Times.

Kerüli a rivaldafényt. Titkolja a nevét. Sohasem fedi fel az arcát. Csak emailen ad interjút. Banksy mégis napjaink egyik legismertebb művésze. Jelentéktelen bristoli graffitisként kezdte pályafutását, de napjainkban már rekordösszegekért kelnek el művei az aukciósházakban, és onnan egyenesen a hírességek otthonaiba kerülnek. Egy Banksy megjelenése hírértékkel bír, a rajongók órákig állna sorba, hogy megnézhessék a legújabb kiállítását, a Kijárat az ajándékbolton át című dokumentumfilmjét pedig Oscar-díjra jelölték. Ki is ő valójában, és hogyan lett a különc kívülállóból márkanév? Will Ellsworth-Jones ebben az első és kimerítő - valamint tökéletesen félhivatalos és csepet sem jóváhagyott - beszámolóban Banksy életéről és világáról ír. Képet alkot arról a titokzatos alakról, akit vandalizmussal vádolnak, törvényenkívüliként ünnepelnek, és aki kulturális jelenséggé vált.