Story: Banksy's London

Most artists would cringe at the thought of thousands of people walking by their work and not even noticing. Most artists would be happy to indulge in a media interview about their latest creative breakthrough. Most artists don't have to worry about their creations being obliterated by the police. But then again, most artists aren't like Banksy.

In an art world full of self-promoters and charlatans, Banksy has made a name for himself by remaining elusive. Depending on who's telling the story, he's short, tall, thin, heavy, bearded, clean-shaven, right-handed, left-handed, or maybe even ambidextrous. No one knows where or when he will strike next. What is known is that he has transformed London; with the city as his canvas, Banksy has created art of the street and for the street, using graphic images and amusing juxtapositions to generate accessible, thought-provoking morsel s of urban wit.

A walking tour of Banksy's spray-paint masterpieces in the English capital is an art tour unlike any other. The city frames the art, to be sure, but the art also frames the city, highlighting cultural trends and political attitudes of several hip North-side neighborhoods. Just north of Victoria Park, a stenciled classical master paints his own graffiti while restrained by a dollar-sign-emblazoned ball and chain, a critique on the art establishment's capitalistic manacles. Farther to the west, in the working class neighborhood of Bethnal Green, an idle workman's flower painting sprouts from the street's double yellow lines, using symbols of urban life to whimsically portray nature. It is a flash of beauty amid gritty low-rent apartment buildings with balconies framed by withered potted plants.

Continuing westward, one of the latest Banksys occupies a stone wall in the hipster hangout of Shoreditch, a hotspot for up-and-coming artists and musicians. Banksy's street art blends in here: traffic signs are often indecipherable because of the posters and stickers promoting the latest show, album release, or gallery opening. Despite the competition, the discerning eye will find a mourning angel wearing a bulletproof vest above a line of storefronts. This image, painted over previous Banksy creations, pays tribute to a popular local street artist who died in a bus accident.

On a wall opposite the Chalk Farm tube station in the Camden neighborhood, a subservient ethnic maid sweeps trash beneath a white curtain. This may be the unfortunate social reality in the city's penthouses, but this corner of London brims with diversity and joie de vivre. Just down the street lies the jubilant chaos of the Camden market, one of the world's best troves of alternative fashion, cheap food, and avant-garde art.

Though in essence a street artist, a Banksy-centered tour of London wouldn't be complete without stops at the Natural History Museum (where he covertly installed a stuffed rat holding a microphone in the dinosaur exhibit hall), the British Museum (where he secretly hung a piece of cave art depicting a man pushing a shopping cart), and the regal auction houses of Bond Street (where one of his canvas works recently sold for over $200,000). Banksy is a rarity in the art world: a subversive leader of the underground who has successfully entered the public consciousness. But his cross-over appeal, in some eyes, diminishes his clout as a leader of the counterculture. Popularity and street cred are, in some ways, mutually exclusive. In Camden, stalls sell $40 Banksy shirts a few blocks from his work, an irony certainly not lost on the artist.

Like all effective art, Banksy's creations make you think. He plays with our expectations of what art is supposed to be as one of a long line of "that's art?" artists whose work is more likely to provoke incredulity than reverential "ooh"s and "aah"s. He makes us laugh while challenging us to question societal norms and the status quo.

Despite Banksy's popularity (his name ranks with Madonna and Mayor Ken Livingstone among the most associated with London), his work is still, officially at least, graffiti. His pieces may persist for days, weeks, or years, depending on the work ethic and artistic sensibilities of local law enforcement. Before setting out, check one of the many websites that track the status of the paintings to see what's available and where to go. But the ephemeral quality of his art makes a Banksy tour of London all the more exciting; an observant pedestrian could be the first to lay eyes on the latest masterpiece…or even catch a glimpse of Banksy himself in the act.

London is home to some of the most respected art museums in the world, but a tour of Banksy's street art does something no gallery can, showcasing unique parts of the city while introducing viewers to cultural trends of the neighborhood. After scouring the streets for the world's most famous graffiti, your view of London will never be the same.