Last month Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search by Banksy was sold at auction for over 9 million dollars, and recently, The New Yorker shared a curious anecdote about Boy with Hammer, a very famous artwork by the street artist, perhaps one of the few remaining public pieces in New York. What remains of Banksy’s graffiti in the Big Apple, and who is Andrew Janoff, the new guardian of this artwork?
Andrew Janoff lives on the Upper West Side and for a year, he clashed with Zabar’s, a very popular emporium located at 2245 Broadway, to claim his role as the guardian of the Boy with Hammer artwork. Janoff went as far as modifying the sign that read “Help Zabar’s save this Banksy” to “Help ANDREW JANOFF save this Banksy” and posted other messages for passersby. For a decade, Zabar’s had been recognized as the guardian of the artwork, but Janoff disagrees. The artwork, protected by plexiglass, was not properly cleaned or maintained by the emporium staff, so Janoff took it upon himself to do so.
The stencil dates back to 2013, the year Banksy decided to spend the entire month of October in New York for an artistic residency titled Better Out Than In. It was a true provocation aimed at the New York art scene. Every day, for 31 days, Banksy revealed online the location of an artwork in the five districts of the American metropolis, featuring graffiti, installations, and performances. It was an unmissable event for street art enthusiasts. But today, what remains of that residency?
The street artist has always had a special connection with New York, never letting his absence be felt too much on the streets of the Big Apple. On the other hand, many of Banksy’s other stencils created over the years have been covered up, damaged, sold to private collections, or auctioned off. Just last May 17th, Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search, a Banksy artwork from 2018, was sold for an impressive $9,724,500 during the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale by Phillips.
This particular artwork is a tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat, the American artist who, along with Andy Warhol, managed to legitimize street art as a form of art. However, there are many controversies surrounding the sale of Banksy’s artworks, even though obtaining a certificate of authenticity is possible through the Pest Control Office.
Banksy’s strength has always been his genius for self-promotion: his desire (and necessity) to remain anonymous, his ironic stance towards the art world, and his anti-establishment attitude have made him immensely popular throughout his long career. This popularity has led to astronomical figures in auctions and private sales, much to the delight of art dealers and collectors, none of whom have any contact with the artist.
