Banksy, b. 1975

There is a rare Metropolitan Police Evidence tag attached to the stretcher numbered 5/10. The artist ultimately only made a maximum of three works in this format.

Mona Lisa combines all of the wit and power that one would expect from Banksy's work but it also raises some unsettling questions about the nature of the art world. By using spray-paint and stencils to re-interpret one of the most technically accomplished images in the history of Western art, the artist explores issues of hierarchy and hegemony in the manner in which art is viewed and displayed. By reclaiming this image for a new generation and doing so with the tools of the street, Banksy attempts to upset the old order and make traditional works meaningful in today’s world.

His recent London exhibition entitled Crude Oils at 100 Westbourne Grove re-imagined several traditional masterpieces, painted over with the harsh realities of the 21^st century including police tape barring entry to an idyllic English landscape and shopping trolleys lying half submerged in Monet’s waterlillies. This does not just represent a damning indictment of the injustices of modern Britain but can also be seen as a willingness to engage with these issues, demonstrating the bravery and caustic sense of humour that has set him apart from his contemporaries. As such, Mona Lisa can be seen as a powerful example of his desire both to reclaim art on behalf of the street and to inject some much needed humour and perspective into a jaded popular culture.