In July 2011 one of Banksy's early works, Gorilla in a Pink Mask, was unwittingly painted over after the premises became a Muslim cultural centre. The art piece had been a prominent landmark on the exterior wall of a former social club in Eastville for over ten years. [219] [220] He added that the owner liked the artwork and did not want to paint over it. But Ash said it was not clear what the piece meant. Banksy has also been long criticised for copying the work of Blek le Rat, who created the life-sized stencil technique in early 1980s Paris and used it to express a similar combination of political commentary and humorous imagery. [85] Blek has praised Banksy for his contribution to urban art, [85] but said in an interview for the documentary Graffiti Wars that some of Banksy's more derivative work makes him "angry", saying that "It's difficult to find a technique and style in art so when you have a style and you see someone else is taking it and reproducing it, you don't like that." [86] The Cans Festival (2008) In April 2014, he created a piece in Cheltenham, near the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) headquarters, which depicts three men wearing sunglasses and using listening devices to "snoop" on a telephone box, evidently criticising the recent global surveillance disclosures of 2013. This was only confirmed by Banksy as his work later in June 2014. [211] This piece 'disappeared' on 20 August 2016 during renovations to the building it was on, and may have been destroyed. [212]

In May 2010, seven new Banksy works of art appeared in Toronto, Canada, [104] though most have been subsequently painted over or removed. While he may shelter behind a concealed identity, he advocates a direct connection between an artist and his constituency. “There’s a whole new audience out there, and it’s never been easier to sell [one’s art],” Banksy has maintained. “You don’t have to go to college, drag ’round a portfolio, mail off transparencies to snooty galleries or sleep with someone powerful, all you need now is a few ideas and a broadband connection. This is the first time the essentially bourgeois world of art has belonged to the people. We need to make it count.” Vincent, Alice (23 October 2013). "Banksy sphinx sculpture stolen in New York". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. He first burst into prominence in the early 1990s as a graffiti artist in the group DryBreadZ Crew.

In December 2009, Banksy marked the end of the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference by painting four murals on global warming. One included the phrase, "I don't believe in global warming", with the words being submerged in water. [95]

Artist Banksy targets Disneyland". BBC News. 11 September 2006. Archived from the original on 5 October 2006 . Retrieved 19 September 2006. Child, Andrew (28 January 2011). "Urban Renewal: Steve Lazarides continues to expand his street art empire". Financial Times. London. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014 . Retrieved 4 November 2013. He had discovered Banksy on a chance photo shoot in Bristol in 2001 while working as picture editor of Sleaze Nation magazine, and brought him to public attention along with a roster of other urban artists... Lazarides and Banksy parted company in 2009, a mysterious split about which both parties have remained tight-lipped. Street Artist Banksy Marks the Mission". The San Francisco Chronicle. 23 April 2010. Archived from the original on 28 April 2010 . Retrieved 27 April 2010. Alexander, Ella (20 October 2014). "Banksy not arrested: Internet duped by fake report claiming artist's identity revealed". The Independent. London . Retrieved 1 May 2020. In late January 2011, Exit Through the Gift Shop was nominated for a 2010 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. [109] Banksy released a statement about the nomination, stating, "This is a big surprise... I don't agree with the concept of award ceremonies, but I'm prepared to make an exception for the ones I'm nominated for. The last time there was a naked man covered in gold paint in my house, it was me." [110] Leading up to the Oscars, Banksy blanketed Los Angeles with street art. Many people speculated if Banksy would show up at the Oscars in disguise and make a surprise appearance if he won the Oscar. Exit Through the Gift Shop did not win the award, which went to Inside Job. In early March 2011, Banksy responded to the Oscars with an artwork in Weston-super-Mare, UK, of a little girl holding the Oscar and pouting. Many people think that it is about 15-month-old Lara, who dropped and damaged her father's ( The King's Speech co-producer Simon Egan) Oscar statue. [111] Exit Through the Gift Shop was broadcast on British public television station Channel 4 on 13 August 2011.Hamburger, Jay (2 April 2014). "Banksy piece in Park City, vandal's target, painstakingly restored". Park Record. Park City, Utah. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023 . Retrieved 22 November 2023.

The HMV logo, moreover, will be recognisable given the shop's turbulent affairs in recent years—having monopolised on the counter-culture of record shops, it has since succumbed to economic difficulties as a result of its mainstream consumerism. Banksy pokes fun at the company's troubles, but likely also makes a genuine remark on the demise of British high streets. Banksy's name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. In a 2003 interview with Simon Hattenstone of The Guardian, Banksy is described as "white, 28, scruffy casual—jeans, T-shirt, a silver tooth, silver chain and silver earring. He looks like a cross between Jimmy Nail and Mike Skinner of The Streets." Banksy began as an artist at the age of 14, was expelled from school, and served time in prison for petty crime. According to Hattenstone, "anonymity is vital to him because graffiti is illegal". [12] Banksy reportedly lived in Easton, Bristol, during the late 1990s, before moving to London around 2000. [13] [14] [15]In May 2017, Banksy claimed the authorship of a giant Brexit mural, painted on a house in Dover (Kent). [215] Paper 'reveals Banksy's identity' ". BBC News. 13 July 2008. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009 . Retrieved 26 January 2009. Taylor, Lee (16 June 2010). "Banksy art appears on London's Princess of Wales pub". London: News Limited. Archived from the original on 17 June 2010 . Retrieved 16 June 2010. Lewis, Isobel (11 November 2021). "Banksy artwork painted over by Christopher Walken in The Outlaws finale was real, BBC confirms". The Independent . Retrieved 17 November 2021.