Pretty Lady Heart Banksy

But not inordinately, you understand. The gentleman mainly seems possessed of a sense of humor coupled with a modicum of common sense; unfortunately, these qualities are passing rare in the world which calls itself 'art.'

I asked Unangst what more he could tell me about Banksy, and he replied, “The only thing I can say is he’s like everybody, but he’s like nobody.” And so began the koan of Banksy, whose own talents as an aphorist—“Never paint graffiti in a town where they still point at aeroplanes”; “Only when the last tree has been cut down and the last river has dried up will man realize that reciting red Indian proverbs makes you sound like a fucking muppet”—seem to inspire all who cross his path. Banksy has convinced nearly everyone who has ever met him that promulgating his image would amount to an unconscionable act of soul robbery.

“Banksy is a genius and a madman,” Unangst continued.

“He’s a guy from Bristol,” someone who knows him told me later.

“I’m not obliged to say more than I’m obliged to,” another loyalist said.

...

“I don’t think art is much of a spectator sport these days...“I don’t know how the art world gets away with it, it’s not like you hear songs on the radio that are just a mess of noise and then the d.j. says, ‘If you read the thesis that comes with this, it would make more sense.’ ”--Banksy

What does Pretty Lady think of Mr. Banksy's art? Well, it is cute, and there is a lot of it. But his invisibility does not interest her one jot, as every graffiti artist she has ever known has been equally invisible. The New Yorker culture editor needs to get with it.