Banksy: Completed

Critically insightful look at one of the world's most well known (and perhaps little known in many ways) artists. A really easy and provocative read. Very enjoyable.

Banksy is world famous and his work instantly recognisable but he chooses to remain anonymous and one of the (many) aspects of this meticulously researched and insightful book is that the author doesn’t try to delve into his personality or “unmask” him in any way, respecting his desire to stay out of the public eye. If only other critics were so respectful…Be that as it may, I found this a wonderfully illuminating and enjoyable study of Banksy’s art, an art that is often derided by art critics but much loved by the general public, not least because it is immediately relatable. Clearly and accessibly written, with a welcome absence of jargon, I found the book informative and enjoyable. The text is detailed but never ponderous and is accompanied by many well-chosen illustrations. I closed the book with a real sense of having learnt a great deal and with a deeper understanding of this most interesting and provocative of artists. Highly recommended to art lovers of all stripes – including sceptics and art critics.

What I thoroughly enjoyed about this critical look at Banksy's work is how the author takes to task many (named) art critics who trash Banksy and have never even visited some of his installations, even when they were in the same city as the critic! Also she does a great job of discussing street art in the context of contemporary art. Interestingly, I did write the author and she has never met Banksy, but his "people" have seen the book. And she doesn't want to meet him. This isn't a hagiography but it is an admiration of his work. Well illustrated, nicely printed and bound.

This is the most beautiful Banksy book yet, much as I admire his own Wall and Piece. It is elegant and intelligent and a fine thing to hold in your hands, balancing the fact that it is foremost a book to read and the wonderful accompanying plates. (Wish I had been to Dismaland.) It is easy to manage, compact yet ample enough for vivid illustration. The full-page plates come on with a bang. And I love that the plates are on the same paper as the text, giving them a bit of texture lost in books on glossy paper. Maybe someone below was unhappy that some of the plates, mostly documentary, are on the smallish side. Interestingly, many of the images in the book seem to have come from Banksy's front office. "Swann", below, sums up the text very nicely. Carol Diehl’s book is a pleasure to read and makes a powerful case for the artistic integrity of the mysterious, intriguing, and always humane Banksy.

It has a dramaturgical quality to it, the was Diehl sets up the conflict: Banksy vs. the Establishment, and I was surprised at how willing I was to invest in Banksy emotionally, like a character in a screenplay.

Carol Diehl has written a personal yet critical examination of Banksy's work and his uneasy relationship with the art establishment. Banksy represents a challenge to art critics due in part to his insider/outsider status, his anonymity and his use of the tropes of street art, i.e. graffiti.After visiting and experiencing such works as "Dismaland" and "The Walled Off Hotel" in Bethlehem, Diehl is able to provide crucial context for his work, countering various art critics who were content to write off Banksy without doing basic research or visiting his installations.Due to Banksy's cloaking of his identity, Diehl's challenge is part detective work as she deftly leads us through the social, ethical and critical complications and ironies of his work.Very readable and highly recommended!

Thank you Carol Diehl and MIT Press for this beautifully written and produced book. The many illustrations are clear and illuminating as is Diehl's writing style. As a critic, Diehl's art reviews over the years are known for their insightful perspectives, humor, clarity and, above all, the absence of dispiriting artspeak. So it is with her Banksy book. The provocative art at the center of Diehl's investigation naturally opens out into the realms of politics, art world hypocrisy, and systems of social inequity. Banksy's art creates the conditions for, and invites audiences to, "complete" the art by performing actions relative to the work itself- his street art tactics are designed to be collaborative. Enthralling reading, highly recommended.