[mido]

wondering how many of us are true fans, or investors, or maybe a bit of both?

I can genuinely say I am a fan, expecially of the satirical and political street work. They make me smile, and think, and are quite outrageous sometimes.

I'm also a photographer and like taking photos of his work. Luckily I live near London, and come from the West Country, so I have two places to spot them!

I've got just a few prints and only get the ones I really like / make me laugh/think.

Jack & Jill was the first signed one I had the opportunity to buy, as i didn't even know POW existed before! Like many I just assumed galleries and ebay were the only place to get them. I didn't massively like it, so didn't buy. 4 days later it was sold out and people are already putting it on ebay (1st one I noticed was at £430 last time I looked). At that sort of 'profit' how on earth are fans ever going to get signed prints from now on, except by checking POW website almost every day or paying silly prices (what if I went on holkiday for a week?)

if this continues we all know that people will then start buying 10 at a time. what an easy way to make money.

when will it burst? or will it not? How many can be released before the market is flooded? or will it not get flooded, because some people want a copy of each?

How many (for example of J&J) are actually in the hands of people who want them and love them, and how many are still in their tube, waiting for prices to rise?

sorry, but the next signed one that comes up I will have to buy it, even if I don't really like it.

[monochrome]

This was a quested I posed on here too.

There is a certain amount of hype around and its only in the 12 months. I remember buying a Golf Sale on ebay for £35 so it's not always been Banksy mania.

I do think its a sellers market, so if you ever have a sold out piece you can guarantee a sale at least double to what you paid. That's for the individual to come to terms with that - that's market forces and POW should not control who buys them.

I've been buying his and other work for about 4-5 years now, I don't buy everything he releases. Not everything he does is great after all. Anyone who thinks like that is probably deranged.

I worry about the word 'fan' branded about like he's a popular music artist. Did Picasso have fans? Dali? They had admirers and collectors, but not fans!! I think 'Banksy Fans' are hoping that buying a piece, hanging it up so their friends will see will make them 'cool'..... that's an honest opinion based on some people I've come across.

I'm a collector of contemporary graphic art and posters. I buy 10 pieces a year, hang about 2, sell 5, the rest are 'rolled' (no serious art is ever rolled for a start). I have collected Banksy since I saw Weston Super Mare in a mag and decided to buy it for £34... because it was fun, pop, cheesy and looked good in a cardboard tube - yep, it will stay there for another 5 years at least.

It's my pension, and that is all.

All art is worthless according to Oscar..... ;D

[mido]

Apologies if this has all be done before. I only just joined, yet I know from other message baords that sometimes when you are new and start a topic, it has all be done 100 times before :-)

I think we relatively agree then.

I am seriously concerned that the bubble wil burst, but then again I don't really care because I've only been buying the ones I like anyway.

I used 'fan' for me because, eys, I don't see banksy as an 'artist' like Picasso etc. This is porbably because most of my exposure to him has been be spotting street graffiti in bristol, London & Cheddar, and the little books.

[monochrome]

i think we agree too.

as with most artists, their star will shine. i collect works by Murakami, and buying prints when they were £300 and selling for £1000 were common place as he topped every art-buyers want list. then his crown slipped slightly and the art is selling for £500 again.

banksy's management need to create a desireable product, release more prints, but fewer runs. Murakami releases 300 prints, all signed and numbered - a much higher quality print process too. i'd like to see prints released 5 at a time, 150 signed, 150 unsigned.

i'll stop ranting and get back to scouring the net for things to buy...

[mido]

yeah, my boss knows Howard Hodgkin and although banksy and HH can't be compared in terms of 'fame' (and prices!) his prints are usually in runs of between 10 and 100 (mainly between 50 and 90). Over the years he has done 140 prints, but that is in a time span of about 40 years.

[charliespeed]

Fan through and through - I dont buy all Banksys stuff - in fact recently I have prefered some of the D*Face, Baste and Kid Acne stuff but he is wicked. I dont buy signed prints as I like the pic for the image/message.

[albionpete]

couldn't care less how much my print is worth. i've liked banksy since i lived in bristol and started spotting his street art. personally if his fame dwindled at least it would allow me more chance to (reasonably) buy a few prints that i'd love to have on my walls but missed the first time around via POW

[doublehigh]

ive been aware of banksy for a couple of years now,but only recently found out about POW!his work is great and after studying fine art for 3 years,his work comes as a breath of fresh air!the work speaks for itself and you dont need to have swallowed an art dictionary to discuss his work.i just hope he is never classed as fine art!i cant stop telling all my pals about him in an excited rant type style!most definately a fan.

[BANK5Y'S-BOY]

well i can truly say i am a real fan. i was into his work way before i found out about pow. i find it strange that people complain about the lack of new prints that isn't what banksy is about, in my opinion its more the work that appears on street corners and make you think...... ;D

[RetroCanvas]

I agree 100% and now that the new bristol peice has been allowed to stay, fingers crossed for some more soon.