CULTURE BOOK FROM STREET CORNER TO SOTHEBY’S The rapid rise of stencil art in the past decades draws on a rich heritage – and looks to have an even brighter future // By Josh Sims BLAME BANKSY. If most art finds its credibility – and collectability – in winning the unofficial stamp of approval from a prestige gallery, museum or investor, street art has gone straight from urban sprawl to penthouse wall. But not just any graffiti. It’s stencil art, specifically, that in its graphic directness and ready reproducibility, both from street to street and from street to T-shirt or mug, has become a 21st-century cultural currency and a new take, perhaps, on the Pop Art of yore. If the stencil proved the logistically most efficient way of getting art up on a street wall quickly – not least because most of the preparation could be done beforehand in a studio – that also helped define its bold, neat look, its leanings towards unfiltered sociopolitical relevance and, often, its droll placement; one of Banksy’s more recent works, Valentine’s Day Mascara, made entertaining use of an abandoned chest freezer. WALL FLOWERINGS Banksy’s “Choose Your Weapon” Facing page: An example of the pioneering work of Nick Walker COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NELLY DUFF GALLERY 56 NetJets
COURTESY THE ARTIST AND NELLY DUFF GALLERY NetJets 57
