Banksy is one of the most popular present-day artists. Limited editions of his works that have been acknowledged by him are extremely rare and – obviously – highly coveted.
However, a great many criminals and organizations are illegally taking advantage of his success, which is why, sadly enough, the British graffiti artist tops the list of most-forged artists by a wide margin. “Globally, there is an enormous increase in the number of counterfeits, which are sold for big money as so-called limited and numbered issues, with falsified certificates of authenticity. The online supply of such counterfeits outnumbers the scarce available originals many times over.
Counterfeiting Banksy's works and the merchandising surrounding it has become a grubby multi-million dollar business," art expert Marc Pairon says. “Non-accredited Banksy museums are popping up all over the place these days. Even governments sometimes support exhibitions of works wrongly attributed to Banksy.” However, during Antica, the international art and antiques fair in Brussels, an exceptional collection of authentic limited Banksy editions from private collections will be offered for sale, including works from The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem (Palestine) and philately-related issues from Ukrposhta, Ukraine’s national postal service. Fully in line with Banksy's social commitment, the proceeds from this sale will directly benefit humanitarian projects in Gaza and the reconstruction of schools in Ukraine.
The special stand during Antica will exhibit a varied range, including more than 70 different, rare Wall Sections (Banksy-designed miniatures of the wall that separates the West Bank from Israel), some Banksy sculptures signed by the renowned Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour and authentic souvenirs created by Banksy for his Walled Off Hotel.
Last year, Ukrposhta, in collaboration with Banksy, issued a limited edition multi-coloured postage stamp depicting 'The Judo Match', one of the characteristic murals that the British street artist painted in Ukraine. Very rare sets and unique documents from this issue will be offered during Antica, including first-day envelopes and art postcards signed by the management of Ukrposhta, limited editions of framed and signed versions of these, the complete series of first-day covers and Banksy postcards from all 28 post offices that were involved in the issue, etc.
The works will be for sale :
Antica Brussels - Fine Art Fair
Friday 19 April to Sunday 21 April, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tour & Taxis, Havenlaan 88, Brussels
Marc Pairon • stand C04
www.antica.be
Main Image : Banksy© - Girl With Balloon (2018) wall fragment • 3 panels + tower, hand-painted synthetic resin • 13.2 x 11.3 x 8 cm
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