“Provides an intriguing account of the making of the acclaimed Banksy film ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’. . . and efforts by Banksy and his team to control and shape the mythology around him. . . . Mr. Ellsworth-Jones’s book is at its most fascinating in tracing Banksy’s evolution from outsider, spraying walls in Bristol like dozens of other young graffiti practitioners, to international artist with work that ‘commands hundreds of thousands of pounds in the auction houses of Britain and America.’ He is adept at examining some of the existential dilemmas this success created for Banksy — dilemmas shared by many outsider and counterculture artists, who suddenly find their work embraced by the very mainstream they’d once scorned.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“[A] thought-provoking, irony-steeped, unauthorized investigation into how a regular guy from Bristol elevated graffiti to a fine art only to find himself trapped in the paradox of becoming a commercially successful, anticapitalist guerrilla artist…. A thoroughly ensnaring, eye-popping account of the paradigm-shifting innovations of a bold and brilliant masked artist.” —Booklist
“A fluent, enjoyable discussion of an important contemporary cultural phenomenon; this book will appeal especially to readers who are fans of Banksy’s world and is an essential title for devotees of pop culture and outsider art… Ellsworth-Jones does a superb job.” —Library Journal
“Whether a Banksy follower or not, a reader will find this excellent contemporary art story speaks volumes about celebrity.” —Publishers Weekly
“Entertaining.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A fascinating portrait that elicits admiration for a man who, despite his increasingly unconvincing efforts to retain some shreds of his vandal status, has had an undeniable impact on art.”—The Times (UK)
“A credible and intelligent portrait of a unique artist, reluctant capitalist, and control freak.”—The Independent (UK)
“An accomplished investigative reporter, [Ellsworth-Jones] casts a detailed and enthusiastic eye over all aspects of Banksy’s career.” —London Evening Standard
“Ellsworth-Jones writes perceptively about the ‘ethical dilemmas’ created by Banksy’s marketing techniques, yet still communicates the excitement of a ‘treasure hunt’ for traces of his work in the scruffier purlieus of London.”—The Observer (UK)
“What makes [this book] intriguing is a relentless following of the money, and the exploration of the tortured interface between art and commerce.”—The Guardian (UK)
“A fascinating history of a wholly likeable art phenomenon.”—The Sunday Times (UK)
