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• Elusive British artist Banksy is best known for his graffiti and street art, which is often satirical in nature. He has also claimed responsibility for a number of high-profile stunts and pranks.

• Fast Facts

  1. Likely born in 1974 in Bristol, England
  2. Represented by Lazarides Gallery in London
  3. Claims to have put an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo Bay prisoner at the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad ride in Disneyland as an act of anti-war protest.

• Identity

  Britain's Daily Mail newspaper claims to have uncovered the true identity of Bansky. The paper is claiming that Banksy is a 34-year old man named Robin Gunningham. These claims have neither been confirmed or denied. What is known for sure of Banksy is that he began as a freehand graffiti artist in the early 90s as part of Bristol's DryBreadZ Crew (DBZ). He incorporates both stencils and text into his images. Reuters: Paper says may have "unmasked" artist Banksy

• Works

  Banksy incorporates both stencils and text into his pieces. Some of Banksy's most widely-publicized stunts and exhibitions have included the production of ten pound notes with Princess Diana's head in the place of the Queen's and the painting of an elephant with a wallpaper pattern to blend into a room for the Barely Legal exhibit in downtown Los Angeles.

  Banksy has also claimed responsibility for several stunts, although there's no way to verify his involvement. These "claimed" stunts include replacing 500 copies of Paris Hilton's debut CD Paris with a CD of Danger Mouse tracks with titles like "Why Am I Famous?"

  Banksy's works have set record prices for the sale of street art at auction houses around the world, including the half a million dollar sale of the work "Space Girl & Bird."

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Banksy Pet Shop | Banksy Photos | Damien Hirst | Blek Le Rat

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