Graffiti or Art

Someone has to be the know-it-all arty type in this thread so I'm just going to say it.

Banksy's art is good but he worked for years to get a break and his 'art' has become the antithesis to what people like him stand for. His pieces sell for thousands of pounds now in auctions which totally goes against his, and his fellow artists', philosophy on art - which is that money should not be brought into the equation. Street art and graffiti is a way of subverting capitalism, which is a bit of an oxymoron, when, as an artist, you go and sell the stuff that's meant to be speaking out against the system.

There are thousands of graffiti and street artists worldwide who are just as good (and some, even better), than Banksy, but are unwilling to pimp their creations in a gallery or auction. At the same time, there is another sizeable majority of street artists for whom it has been possible to make a living from their art by selling it, something street artists 15-20 years ago were unable to do. So while I don't believe in Banksy's business plan personally, I can see that it is good for artists. And he's a super talented guy, regardless of his philosophy on money.