An Art Critic’s Harsh View Of Banksy

Before you write off Jerry Saltz as a curmudgeon who needs to get hip to the times, take note: He has "no problem" with graffiti and is thoroughly versed in the works of various street artists. But, that doesn't mean he likes Banksy. In fact, turns out he doesn't care for Banksy at all. He was forced to rank all of the British graffiti artist's works from his NYC "residency" in order from worst to best, and for the most part, it's a case of the lesser of 29 evils.

His number one? Banksy's sculpture of stuffed animals sticking out of a grimy truck. Saltz was pleasantly surprised with the work's "pathos and humor," and recommended that the artist "stick with sculpture, dude." That's about as sugar-coated as it gets. Most of the pieces that left a favorable impression on Saltz are tempered with his reflection that they're suspicious copies of other artists' better efforts. Criticisms include "WTF!," "featherbrained," "bonehead," and "take your millions and f*ck off, turd." So, all in all, it's a pretty fun read.

Check out the full, scathing roundup over on New York magazine. Is he too harsh? Or is Banksy's ego long overdue for a trim? (NYmag)