A new BBC Radio 4 podcast hears exclusively from an ex-employee of Banksy’s infamous Picture On Walls print shop.
With Banksy’s first ever retrospective opening at the Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art last month, the 10-part series of The Banksy Story, hears from Steph Warren who worked closely with the artist during a critical time in his career and recounts fascinating behind the scenes stories.
Producer and presenter James Peak is a Banksy super-fan, he spent a year trying to convince Steph to tell her story.
She reveals behind the scenes stories from his tremendous rise, how he got the elite art world on his hook, how he dealt with the increasing pressure of his notoriety, his immense capacity for charity, the way he administrates this secret world, and much more.
For the launch of Banksy’s landmark 2005 Crude Oils show in London, which featured live rats running around, Steph recalls seeing Banksy’s father discover who his son was for the first time: “I remember this one guy stood away from the crowd, then one of the guys helping out in the background said that’s actually Banksy’s dad.
“I knew that Banksy had told his parents that he was a painter and decorator, because we’d laughed when they’d had to do a show in Vienna, his parents had asked ‘did they not have painters and decorators in Vienna?’.
“And so for the Crude Oils show, he’d revealed himself to his parents. And his dad had come down to see and was looking completely open mouthed at what his son had created. And I sort of brought him in and showed him the work… I think he was just completely astounded at what was transpiring, you know? It was a real buzz, you couldn’t walk past that installation without being aware of it.”
Following a string of stunts in New York including the Metropolitan Museum, someone claiming to be Banksy gave an interview with US radio.
This could potentially be the artist’s voice being heard for the first time – a soft southern accent with an occasional Bristolian twang – describing themselves as a ‘painter and decorator’.
During the five-minute recording, this person displays a mischievous sense of humour, explaining why and how they pulled off the museum stunts and in doing so, subtly satirise the art world.
“I think it’s testament to the frame of mind most people are in when they’re in a museum really,” the person says. “Most people don’t really notice things and let the world go by… For instance in the Met, they hung a Henri Matisse painting upside down for 42 days I believe it was, until someone told them it was round the wrong way. I was aiming for at least 42 days, but unfortunately didn’t get that far.”
Whether it is Banksy’s voice or just another in a long line of misdirection tactics, The Banksy Story charts the elusive artist’s journey from street artist to global phenomenon, speaking to contributors who were there where it happened and featuring analysis by connoisseurs including author and cultural historian John Higgs.
The Banksy Story is available as a boxset on BBC Sounds from today, 17 July and also broadcast week days at 1.45pm on BBC Radio 4.
