Fake ‘Banksy’ Art Sells While Originals Didn’t for Same Price [VIDEO]

A sale table of faked 'Banksy' art recently sold out, which sounds like a good thing. But just days before those admittedly false pieces sold, a table with the original art, for the SAME price, only had three customers. Call it the power of advertising.

If you're not familiar with Banksy, he's a street artist, or graffiti artist, from London who has gained worldwide acclaim for his work. I first became familiar with his work in a movie he made about the subculture of street artists called 'Exit Through The Gift Shop.' Even in the movie, he had his voice altered and only appeared in shadow. The mystery behind the man has only made his artwork more famous.

Banksy has made a few forays across the pond to share his creations in the U.S., like when he was nominated for an Oscar. The Oscar board, however, was not comfortable with the fact that, if he won, he wanted to appear in disguise to continue the mystery surrounding his identity. He lost that year, despite sharing his artwork all over the city of Los Angeles (see video above). He has won many documentary awards, however, both abroad and in the U.S.

But despite his international fame, a street vendor in New York City earlier this month found it nearly impossible to sell his artwork. In 7 hours, the vendor only had 3 customers, despite signage that let people know that the art was the original Banksy. They were available for sale for $60 each.

One week later, 'Fake Banksy' appeared with similar artwork and plenty of signage to let people know it was FAKE. How did it sell? Check out the video below. Totally amazing. I guess it's the power of the internet. When people found out they'd missed out on the real thing, then the imitation was better than nothing. All I can say is, I'd love to see what would happen if the REAL artwork came back a week later. Would people buy it? I'd like to think the answer is yes.