Without debate, Banksy is factually the most famous and important artist of this generation. His influence, popularity and methods to speak about important topics in the world through his art has made him the artist of our time.
The gimmicks he plays on the public, his anonymity and witt methods of delivering art to us have also played in the role of his popularity.
For example, one time Banksy had an old man setup a stall in Central Park, New York City. Banksy gave him a few original pieces to sell at the stall in the park for $60.00 each. Many walking by the stall assumed this was simply an old man selling fake Banksy work, something you see often with the amount of Banksy fakes going around in the world.
Some people walking by luckily purchased 1 or 2 pieces, some even negotiating with the old man. Maybe a quarter of the work was sold to the public, the next day Banksy announced on social media what he had did. People went crazy knowing they could have bought a REAL original Banksy for $60.00 which is currently valued anywhere from $100,000 - $220,000.
Banksy NYC Stunt, old man selling $60.00 original Banksy work in Central Park
Banksy has done artwork in the most daring places on earth, he has made art in broad daylight without anyone catching him. He's done art in Gaza, Palestine which is currently one of the hardest places to go to in the world.
Banksy also opened up a hotel in the occupied state, in Bethlehem. And let's not forget he's been able to stay anonymous in todays day and age where cameras are not only everywhere but people photograph/video everything. He's really made the impossible, possible. These and many other reasons make Banksy the artist of our time. This is NOT DEBATABLE.
Are Banksy prints a good Investment?
The market for Banksy's Artwork, Prints and memorabilia are in many ways their own collection ecosystem. The value of anything attached to Banksy has grown so much that MyArtBroker published a recent publication a piece.
In this piece they compared prints created by Banksy to traditional high-return assets such as gold, FTSE 100 shares and oil with other traditional high-return investments like real estate, Bitcoin, and oil.
The article states that the average price for a Banksy print was higher than gold in 2020. The average annual selling price of Bansky's artwork printed on paper grew by 178% between 2019-2020, more than any other asset in this study.
I think that answers the question for you, acquiring a Banksy is not only a good investment but a great investment. If I had to think of ONE downside, it would be that the artwork you purchase won't be as easy to sell off as Bitcoin or Stocks.
But that's normal for ALL artwork, art itself is not as a liquid as other assets. Nonetheless, with a Banksy because of the large market for his work you wont have trouble selling his work.
Here's a BIG misconception when it comes to anything Banksy related. Most people believe you have to be rich to make money off of art or better yet invest in something from Banksy.
This is NOT TRUE, you see the thing is .. EVERYTHING Banksy related is going up in price. Not only his original work and prints. Banksy memorabilia can fetch quite the amount, depending on what you have and how long you hold it for.
Banksy Artwork
Any work originally made by Banksy is not cheap, his work has fetched anywhere from 1,000,000 - 10,000,000 USD at auction houses. This type of work is obviously unattainable, unless you're quite wealthy and have some serious money to spend on art. Original Banksy work but would be pieces like Banksy's Love is in the Bin which auctioned at Christies and self destructed itself at auction.
This category of work is quite profitable, not only because other collectors are looking for original Banksy work but museums and galleries. Museums can attract quite the crowd advertising they're currently showing an original Banksy.
Banksy Prints
Prints by Banksy are currently the most wanted form of art by Banksy in the collectors market. Prints are between his original work and memorabilia when it comes to scarcity, being the second most scarce form of art you can own by Banksy. If you think that means they're cheap .. think again, now they may not cost you 7 figures to buy but original prints by Banksy fetch anywhere from $40,000 - $200,000 USD.
If you're looking for the most profitable way to capitalize on an investment, prints by Banksy take the trophy home. As mentioned earlier, prints by Banksy have beaten the S&P 500 index, Gold and Bitcoin in the last two years.
Banksy Memorabilia
Memorabilia from Banksy events is something people don't seem to mention when looking to buy/invest in art from Banksy. I don't know why many look past memorabilia, but they do. Nonetheless, it's a big mistake because Banksy memorabilia is the only form of art most people can afford.
I mean, some even got it for free if they attended any Banksy exhibition/events. You can find some memorabilia selling for under $1,000 USD, but it is rare. Most items sell for more than a thousand dollars nowadays.
When Banksy hosted his opening for his hotel in Bethlehem, Palestine named The Walled Off Hotel, his team gave out 2000 Visit Historic Palestine posters out for free. These posters currently sell for an average $1,000 USD online. Posters for promoting a number of Banksy exhibitions around the world were posted on the streets to advertise his exhibitions .. those same posters sell for $1,000 - $3,000 USD.
For more guides on everything contemporary art, check out our other guides!
Disclaimer: This is NOT investing/financial advice, we're sharing our opinion respectfully from a speculative point of view.
