The identity of Banksy, one of the most prolific street artists in the world, is being sold on eBay. Banksy has famously kept his name a secret for a number of years, even while directing a film, so to be ousted over the internet — assuming the sale is not a scam — seems blasphemous. The bidding has nearly broken past the one million dollar mark, and will end Wednesday evening.
The seller claims that he has matched the prices of Banksy’s sold artwork with UK tax records, and is quite certain that his findings are completely legitimate. Banksy’s website states that “Banksy neither produces or profits from the sale of greeting cards, mugs or photo canvases of his work. He is not represented by any of the commercial galleries that sell his paintings second hand and cannot be found on facebook/twitter/myspace etc.”, so the seller’s assertion seems shady at best.
The winner of this auction is the only person I will ever share this information with. The piece of paper will say his name, nothing more.
It’s also possible that Banksy himself is selling the information (or pretending to) as some sort of social statement, but if not, lets hope that the buyer keeps the mystery alive.
Published: Jan 18, 2011 08:59 am