How Banksy Saved Art History

A new take on the history of art through the eyes of the international phenomenon that is Banksy.

Few would dispute that Banksy is the most famous urban artist in the world today. That he is also a perceptive art historian might come as a surprise to many. Taken together, the myriad memorable works the street artist has created over the course of the past thirty years, constitute an audacious commentary on the history of image-making―a captivating critique waiting to be pieced together.

Through the dark satirical lens of Banksy’s mischievous reimagined masterpieces, art history is viewed anew and brought into unexpected focus. From his droll lampooning of the Lascaux cave paintings to reinventing Monet’s enchanting water lily pond, a reboot of Géricault’s tragic, gut-wrenching vision to Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring now instilled with street cred, everyone’s genius is grist for his unmerciful mill. Far from being diminished in their significance, however, the works that Banksy ruthlessly parodies are ultimately refurbished by the ordeal. Banksy’s iconoclastic works force us to rethink our affection for and appreciation of great works of art that define cultural history.

139 color illustrations