Tab Claims It's ID'd Graffiti Artist Banksy

Now your grandmother can be a vandal

(NEWSER) - Graffiti’s latest trend stems from a grandmotherly tradition—and it’s more likely to prompt laughter than arrests, proponents say. Yarn bombers knit sweaters and cozies for public objects from lampposts to cars to mailboxes, the New York Times reports. Victims have included the iconic Wall Street bull and the statue of Rocky outside Philadelphia’s Museum of Art. “Street art and graffiti are usually so male dominated,” says one yarn bomber. “Yarn bombing is more feminine. It’s like graffiti with grandma sweaters.” More»

'Exit Through the Gift Shop' is one of the festival's hottest tickets

(NEWSER) - Partially an insider look at guerrilla art, partially a satire of the art world, Banksy’s film-within-a-film is impossible to categorize—but it’s definitely one of the hottest movies at Sundance. Fans lined up in 15-degree weather for the slim chance of getting into the nightclub-like screening of Exit Through the Gift Shop, attended by such celebrities as Jared Leto and Adrian Grenier. Meanwhile, the mysterious auteur left at least 10 of his signature pieces of graffiti art throughout Park City and Salt Lake City. More»

(NEWSER) - Street artist Shephard Fairey plead guilty today to three counts of vandalism for displaying stickers and posters around Boston without permission, the Globe reports. He must pay a fine and is prohibited from carrying the tools of his trade—like wheat paste and brushes—in the county for 2 years. Fairey is most famous for his Obama “Hope” poster, though his trademark image is a stenciled likeness of wrestler Andre the Giant and the word “Obey.” More»

(NEWSER) - Controversial artist Banksy has mounted a huge show at his hometown Bristol City Museum—but the secretive vandal is nowhere to be seem, the Times of London reports. The exhibition was planned in secret through Banksy’s representatives. “We couldn’t even tell the council and the whole thing could have been a huge hoax,” the museum’s director said. The show includes paintings and sculpture. More»

(NEWSER) - Is Prince William living a secret double life? Probably not. But he drew laughs at a London gallery by “confessing” that he is Banksy, the mysterious and controversial graffiti artist. Banksy’s art can be found throughout the UK and beyond, but the reclusive artist refuses to be photographed and hasn’t confirmed his real name. The BBC has reported his actual identity to be Robert Banks, a 35-year-old from Bristol. More»