Artworks by Banksy, as well as ephemera or objects inspired by the artist, are popular with collectors on Artsy. Due to the nature of his work as a street artist, it can be challenging to clearly and accurately represent these items. These guidelines are meant to help you optimize your Banksy listings for collectors on Artsy, while avoiding common mistakes that may result in your works being unpublished.
Please note that works listed via auction or consignment may be subject to additional requirements.
Due to the prevalence of fake Banksy and misrepresented ephemera, Artsy has created these policies, based on our experience with Pest Control and their agent DACS, to protect the value of Banksy's market and the collectors purchasing his work. In addition to formal works of art, Banksy has created a large amount of ephemeral materials throughout his career; these items are not considered works of art by Pest Control and are not eligible for a COA from them. These pieces may be attributed to Banksy on Artsy, but must always be listed as ephemera. There are fake versions of these ephemeral works on the market, and we encourage sellers, resellers and prospective collectors to be careful when considering such purchases.
Only the following works may be listed as Banksy:
- Artworks that Pest Control, Banksy's sole authentication body, would authenticate (they need not have an accompanying Certificate of Authenticity and have gone through the authentication process, although we strongly recommend you to do so by contacting Pest Control). In order for Banksy works to be eligible for promotion on Artsy or via external channels, they must be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.
Example:
2. Merchandise purchased at a Banksy gift shop, ephemera from a Banksy exhibition, or street art. These types of listings must be classified as ephemera.
Example:
Artworks produced in the style of Banksy or which are inspired by Banksy may not be listed on Artsy, unless they are attributed to the artist who created them. “After Banksy” may not be used for Banksy related works.
Works that violate the rights of any third party, including but not limited to any copyright, moral right, trademark right, privacy right, publicity right, or contractual right, may not be listed on Artsy. Examples include Brandalism merchandise based on images by Banksy. You are responsible for ensuring your listings do not violate these rights, and Artsy reserves the right to unpublish any such listings.
If a work is miscatalogued, our catalog operations team will open a case. They will reach out with instructions to amend the listing or request additional information. If the listing is not updated or our team does not receive the information we request, the listing will be unpublished.
After three such cases, we may take action with regards to your account, such as unpublishing works, suspending your use of Buy Now and Make Offer, or suspending or terminating your account. We understand that good faith mistakes may happen, and so we will typically issue a warning before such action, although we reserve the right to take action earlier based on the severity of the misrepresentation.