‘I hired Banksy for £50 and then painted on his wall’

For years people have tried – and failed – to uncover details about Bristol’s most famous, yet anonymous, graffiti artist Banksy. are

His photographs and the stories of those who have met him are incredibly rare. But now a man who got the undercover artist to work with children at a youth club in the late 1990s has given the BBC an exclusive insight into the man behind the walls, e.g. He was going to be famous.

Banksy is one of the world’s most famous graffiti artists. His work has sold for millions of pounds and his exhibitions have been seen by millions of people.

But behind the layers of paint, lost to time in a youth club in Bristol, is a Banksy few know about.

At the peak of international fame, the artist was leaving his mark – not just on the streets of his hometown, but on the youth of Lawrence Weston.

Here, Banksy helped groups of teenagers in art classes, just as he was about to paint his famous Light, Light West mural.

“If you look at the photos, you can see the way he was working with young people,” said Peter de Boer, the man responsible for bringing Banksy into the building.

“They were engaged, having fun and sharing ideas. It was a real collaboration.”

Now here are the rest of the unique murals, colorful, abstract and vibrant pieces that grace the walls of the Youth Club. The BBC has been given permission to use the images on the condition that Banksy remain anonymous.

The artist returned to the club several times to create new worlds, with a revolving door of 11- to 16-year-olds — oblivious to who would eventually become the artist.

It was the late 1990s when Peter, a senior youth worker for the area, saw a generation of children in this part of west Bristol. Was looking for local artists to inspire.

His friend had a tip – someone who was out ‘tagging’ the city with his brother and starting to make a name for himself. That person was Banksy.

“I got his phone number, so I used to call him and ask if he would come over and do some art projects. He was really excited,” Peter said.

It was the same year that Banksy created his first large stencil mural at Stokescroft – Light West – which depicted a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at three riot police.

Whenever Banksy arrived at the youth club, he was greeted by dozens of eager children.

From the 1970s the purpose-built youth center had become a real community hub.

“There will be literally hundreds of young people who come here in a week,” said Peter, who is passionate about the need for youth clubs in the community.

“It was always very moving.”

Peter recalls the hype building around Banksy’s work in Bristol, but when he was running a session at Lawrence Weston “no one thought twice about who he was”.

He said he was just another artist sharing his talents with the community.

“What struck me at the time was that he really had no ego. He was making art with them instead of making art for them,” he said.

“In the morning, he sat around a table with the children, talking about their thoughts.

“Then they would all just sprinkle things that were invented.

“It wasn’t more Banksy than the youth, it was definitely a 50/50 kind of thing.”

And how much did it cost to bring in Banksy?

“For the first [workshop]I think we paid him £50. Probably just covered the cost of the spray paint at that point,” Peter said.

“I don’t think he ever got into it for the money. It shows what a deep, kind and caring person he is.”

The murals Banksy created with the kids were fun and colorful – but with meaning.

Cows appearing as bombs are dropped on top of them, which Peter believes is an allusion to climate anxiety, while another was more obscure – a circus on which Robots take over.

But what happened to those walls? They were painted on. Repeatedly.

“I personally painted on Banksy,” said Peter.

But he’s not about to get sentimental about preserving street art.

“I have no regrets at all. [covering them up]. Back then, it was more about working with and engaging with young people.

“And at the time it was just another art project.”

For Peter, the value of Banky’s time at the club is not monetary, but based on what these murals have done for the community.

He wonders if children remember creating with a man who is now one of the world’s most famous artists.

“I am very proud that he came here,” he said.

“It will be [those who were] Young people in the local community who are now parents who have worked with Banksy, and they might not know it.”