A brand new 10-part podcast collection from BBC Sounds guarantees to inform The Banksy Story – from graffiti child to family identify. 

After the opening of the primary Banksy retrospective on the Glasgow Gallery of Fashionable Artwork final month, a brand new BBC Radio 4 is wanting on the artist’s provocative profession.

The Banksy Story hears solely from an ex-employee of Banksy’s notorious Image On Partitions print store, who labored intently with the artist throughout a crucial time in his profession.

The collection comes from James Peak, a super-fan who seeks to get near the artist’s secret world. He charts the story of the graffiti child who made spraying partitions into excessive artwork, the nameless determine who turned a family identify and the cultural phenomenon who bites the hand that feeds him.

The Banksy Story

Between 2003 and 2005, Banksy walked into a few of the world’s most well-known museums and galleries, putting a few of his artworks on the partitions. Following a string of stunts in New York together with the Metropolitan Museum, somebody claiming to be Banksy gave an interview with US radio throughout which we hear what might probably be the artist’s voice for the primary time – a comfortable southern accent with an occasional Bristolian twang – describing themselves as a ‘painter and decorator’. In the course of the 5 minute recording, they show a mischievous sense of humour, clarify why and the way they pulled off the museum stunts and in doing so, subtly satirise the artwork world.

They are saying; “I feel it’s testomony to the mind set most individuals are in once they’re in a museum actually. Most individuals don’t actually discover issues and let the world go by… As an example within the Met, they hung a Henri Matisse portray the other way up for 42 days I imagine it was, till somebody instructed them it was around the fallacious manner. I used to be aiming for no less than 42 days, however sadly didn’t get that far.”

The Banksy Story charts the elusive artist’s journey from avenue artist to international phenomenon, talking to contributors who have been within the room the place it occurred. It additionally options evaluation by connoisseurs together with writer and cultural historian John Higgs (The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Kilos).

Written, Produced and Introduced by James Peak, The Banksy Story is obtainable as a boxset on BBC Sounds now. It additionally broadcasts on weekdays at 1.45pm on BBC Radio 4.