Elusive artist goes unrecognized selling art on NYC streets
NEW YORK — Banksy, the British graffiti artist causing a sensation in New York City, says he sold a few of his artworks over the weekend for up to $60 apiece, far below the thousands they typically fetch.
Banksy wrote on his website that he had set up a stall in Central Park on Saturday with original signed works. But the secretive artist warned Sunday: “That stall will not be there again today.”
The website features a photo and video of the pop-up stall with a sign that read: “Spray Art. $60.” Eight people over the course of the day are seen buying the works and getting a hug, a peck on the cheek or a handshake after a purchase from an elderly man working the stall. It is not clear who the man is. Banksy refuses to give his real name.
The total take for the day was $420, according to the website.
It said one man from Chicago bought four works because he was decorating his new home and needed something for the walls.
One woman bought two small canvases for her children but only after negotiating a 50 percent discount, the website said.
Banksy’s work has been turning up on the city’s streets and all over social media in recent weeks.
