Fresh off his New York City residency, Banksy reportedly hopped a plane to France and started a similar campaign in Paris. Or did he?
After a website resembling the one launched for the renowned graffiti artist's New York tour recently popped up, rumors began circulating on social media that Banksy had taken to the streets of the French capital. However, many are questioning whether Banksy is really in Paris.
Someone claiming to be Banksy recently launched a website called "Back To The Roots" (Banksy-Paris.com) along with an Instagram feed (@BanksyParis) and Twitter handle (@Banksy_Paris) to share daily artwork. The website was first reported by French journalist David Chapelle, who received the link in an email.
So far, the poster has published photos of two pieces of graffiti art.
(Story continues below.)
However, according to French cultural magazine Les Inrocks, Banksy's Paris residency is all a hoax. Les Inrocks writer J.D. Beauvallet reported on Twitter that Banksy's agent said the website is a fake.
Though the new site appears to be similar to BanksyNY.com, a search revealed the domain name for Banksy-Paris.com is registered to someone named Nakamura Takehiro in France. Pest Control, a clearing house that authenticates Banksy's work, also told Storyful that the French site is fake.
But, on Monday, another Twitter account (@BanksyParis) popped up with the following message:
Do you think Banksy is tagging up Paris, or is someone trying to pull the wool over our eyes? Let us know by taking our Quick Poll (below), and tweet us your opinions @HuffPostArts.
After a website resembling the one launched for the renowned graffiti artist's New York tour recently popped up, rumors began circulating on social media that Banksy had taken to the streets of the French capital. However, many are questioning whether Banksy is really in Paris.
Someone claiming to be Banksy recently launched a website called "Back To The Roots" (Banksy-Paris.com) along with an Instagram feed (@BanksyParis) and Twitter handle (@Banksy_Paris) to share daily artwork. The website was first reported by French journalist David Chapelle, who received the link in an email.
So far, the poster has published photos of two pieces of graffiti art.
(Story continues below.)
However, according to French cultural magazine Les Inrocks, Banksy's Paris residency is all a hoax. Les Inrocks writer J.D. Beauvallet reported on Twitter that Banksy's agent said the website is a fake.
Though the new site appears to be similar to BanksyNY.com, a search revealed the domain name for Banksy-Paris.com is registered to someone named Nakamura Takehiro in France. Pest Control, a clearing house that authenticates Banksy's work, also told Storyful that the French site is fake.
But, on Monday, another Twitter account (@BanksyParis) popped up with the following message:
Are you sure it is a fake? Do you trust the media? Well, see you tomorrow... #banksyparis
— banksy (@banksyparis) December 2, 2013Do you think Banksy is tagging up Paris, or is someone trying to pull the wool over our eyes? Let us know by taking our Quick Poll (below), and tweet us your opinions @HuffPostArts.