Banksy, the British graffiti artist, is considered one of the main representatives of contemporary street art. His works, often satirical, address universal issues such as politics, culture or ethics.

He is one of the most famous “unknown people” whose thought-provoking works have appeared in some of the most controversial places around the world. While he transformed streets from London to New York, from Berlin to Timbuktu, from Gaza to Tokyo into a giant canvas, he was also hung on the walls of major art institutions such as the British Museum, Tate Modern and the Louvre Museum.

Banksy is a mysterious artist with a secret identity but globally recognized works.

His criticism of pop-cultural imagery, politics and even art and museums has been viewed as a simple revolt by some; and interpreted as ingenious by the majority of others. The pop star Christina Aguilera bought Banksy's work depicting Queen Victoria as a lesbian and Justin Bieber got the “Red Balloon Girl” tattooed on his arm. Despite standing up against the commodification of art, auction houses found buyers for Banksy's works at record prices. In 2010, alongside Lady Gaga, Obama, Robert Pattinson, Sir Elton John, and Prince, Banksy was also named one of the world’s most influential people by Time Magazine.