Abandoned Bank-sy

It's been five years since "anonymous graffiti artist" Banksy hit Manhattan. (Some thought they figured out who he was when this guy was seen setting something up on the Lower East Side, but I guess we're still saying we don't know who he is.)

Now he's returned, this time tagging the empty bank building on the corner of 14th and 6th, not far from my apartment in Chelsea. I saw "Exit Through the Gift Shop" in 2010 and became even more confused about what he's all about. Whatever the case, people are excited about this latest stunt -- apparently there were others on the Bowery (protesting the imprisonment of Turkish artist Zehra Dogan) and Brooklyn (a characteristically coy anti-capitalism message). And remember that if you see a street vendor selling things that look like they're by Banksy, they just might be.

UPDATE: Banksy tag on 14th Street has been removed

A Banksy a Day ...

Banksy fans in New York City must be in heaven -- each day there's a new surprise from the secretive street artist. Today he seemed to be daring vandals to deface his latest New York stencil work : a Twin Towers silhouette with a bright orange chrysanthemum — singed at the edges — exploding from one of the buildings. Banksy, now halfway through his month-long New York “residency” announced the arrival of his newest installation via Instagram around 11:30 a.m.

The New York Post writes:

Around the same time, Banksy tweeted: “Time to step it up.” Several of Bansky’s works have been tagged, painted over or ruined by vandals within hours of them being revealed, but fans are hoping this one, located at Staple and Jay Streets, is preserved. “Beautiful. Surely this won’t be defaced.” Tweeted @Hallmork. Banksy’s 14th installation, which went up on a wall in Woodside, Queens, Monday, was ruined that night by a tagger miffed that Banksy was in “his area.” Vandals also wrecked the artist’s “concrete confessional” in the East Village, and a beaver stenciled on an East New York wall.

Tale of the take

Banks for the Heads Up!

Don't you hate when you walk past a street vendor selling his wares only to find out later that it was actually art by Banksy worth millions being sold for $60 a piece? Read HERE.

Banksy Revealed?

Blondie's Chris Stein posted this picture of a Banksy piece he spotted today on the Lower East Side. People are speculating that THIS is the elusive street artist (below), who is in New York City creating art for the month of October.