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.
‘ This is a fascinating portrait that elicits admiration for a man who, despite his increasingly unconvincing efforts to retain some shreds of his vandal status, has had an undeniable impact on art’
‘ Ellsworth-Jones casts a detailed and enthusiastic eye over all aspects of Banksy’ s career, from the Bristol graffiti scene where he first experimented in the 1980’ s, through the development of Banksy’ s trademark stencilled style, to his growing audacity and success and the controlling and sophisticated publicity and business machine of today’
‘ A fascinating history of a wholly likeable art phenomenon’
'Ellsworth-Jones writes perceptively about the "ethical dilemmas" created by Banksy's marketing techniques, yet still communicates the excitement of a "treasure hunt" for traces of his work in the scruffier purlieus of London’
'A credible and intelligent portrait of a unique artist, reluctant capitalist and control freak struggling to preserve his own myth and maintain his outsider status’
'Britain's unlikeliest national treasure'
'a relentless following of the money, and the exploration of the tortured interface between art and commerce'
'An admirer yet also an accomplished investigative reporter, [Will Ellsworth-Jones] casts a detailed and enthusiastic eye over all aspects of Banksy's career'
'don't miss!'
"Not an unmasking but an investigative look at the street’ s extraordinary rise from Bristol graffitist to lucrative ‘ national treasure’ - and all the contradictions that entails”
'a joy to read'
'impressed by this measured account of his career'
'pacy account of street-artist Banksy's rise to fame'
