Banksy in Paris: Real or Fake?

Banksy in Paris: Real or Fake?
Is this Banksy? Screenshot from banksy-paris.com
Ingrid Longauerová
Updated:

Is Banksy really in Paris? This has been a hot question online since Sunday, when a website posted photos of street art in Paris strongly resembling the work of the famous, elusive British graffiti artist.

The website, titled “Back to the Roots,” at Banksy-Paris.com, claims Banksy has started a one-month project in the French capital. It resembles a website Banksy set up to promote his New York project earlier this year.

On Monday, photos of the street art also began appearing on the Instagram feed @BanksyParis and the Twitter handle @Banksy_Paris.

The first mural appears at Passage des Postes with the words: “I like wine and baguette, does that mean I’m French?” (Photo above)

The second is from Rue Piémontési in the 18th arrondissement.

 
(Screenshot from banksy-paris.com)

A video was uploaded to YouTube Tuesday by Banksy-Paris.com showing the artwork:

While photos were spreading on the Internet like wildfire, many of Banksy’s fans said they are fake. French photographer David Chapelle said, however, that the authenticity was confirmed; he received an email from Banksy’s agent.

J.D. Beauvallet, a journalist for the French publication Les Inrocks, doesn’t believe the “Back to the Roots” Banksy website is authentic.

Confirmation de l‘agent de Banksy aux Inrocks : le site (et l’invasion) Banksy in Paris sont un fake @CaroleBoinet http://t.co/ZnvyeFswbK

— JD Beauvallet (@JDBeauvallet) December 2, 2013

A clearing house that verifies Banksy’s work told Storyful the French website is a fake, according to the Huffington Post.

The Local’s France edition gave further evidence that Bansky’s Paris website may be fake: “Brussels-based IT expert @Amaury noticed certain anomalies in the registration of the Banksy-Paris website, as well as discrepancies between it and its very similar BanksyNY counterpart.”

As an answer to the questions of authenticity, a new Twitter account, @banksyparis, tweeted Monday evening:

Are you sure it is a fake? Do you trust the media? Well, see you tomorrow... #banksyparis

— banksy (@banksyparis) December 2, 2013

A tweet by @banksyparis also complained that Banksy’s New York website is no longer available.

The Huffington Post reported on Monday that Banksy-Paris.com is registered to someone named Nakamura Takehiro in France.

Twitter account @banskyparis answered with the message:

But who’s Takehiro Nakamura? Sayonara

— banksy (@banksyparis) December 3, 2013

After all the speculation, if Banksy really is in Paris, his new project has certainly received much attention. In his aloofness, he often attracts publicity.

RELATED: Elusive Graffiti Artist Banksy Speaks to Village Voice in NYC: Highlights

 

Ingrid Longauerová
Ingrid Longauerová
journalist/graphic designer
Ingrid Longauerová is a long time employee at the Epoch Media Group. She started working with The Epoch Times as a freelance journalist in 2007 before coming to New York and work in the Web Production department. She is currently a senior graphic designer for the Elite Magazine, a premier luxury lifestyle magazine for affluent Chinese in America produced by the EMG.
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