In an ironic twist of fate, the vandal's artwork in the streets gets vandalized, too. Just last year, his newest mural in London was defaced with white paint only two days after it appeared. Many of his other works have been damaged in one way or another as well, as there is even a comprehensive list on Wikipedia of all Banksy's works damaged or destroyed.
There's another upside to Banksy's "vandalism": the property that he "defaces" increases wildly in value. Some have even gone as far as to accuse him of gentrifying neighborhoods in London. In one case, the owners of a Los Angeles building with a Banksy mural on it claim that the artwork increased its value by $14 million.
The debate over whether street art is vandalism can get tricky. We've seen great artists emerge from the street art scene in the past (Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, we're looking at you). But we've also seen great works of art damaged and defaced in an act of rebellion and defiance.
"Graffiti, at its core, is both vandalism and art. In my opinion, graffiti is 100% art and 100% vandalism," Henry Zhou, a student artist in Los Angeles, California, told Yale Daily News. Truly, why can't it be both?
#30 Do-It-Yourself Pride Flag!
We can hardly call the so-called vandalism in this list art. Wouldn't you agree, Pandas? Still, that doesn't take away from its wholesomeness and entertainment value. Let us know which mild acts of vandalism you liked the best in the comments!
And while you're here, be sure to check out our previous compilations of polite and wholesome vandalism from the r/MildlyVandalised subreddit, here, here, and right here!
#37 Was At Walmart Last Night. I Still Have Yet To Do This At Hobby Lobby
