Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Banksy, the artist who graduated to U.K. galleries from the streets, said the first major exhibition of his work in New York is ``completely unauthorized.''

The Vanina Holasek Gallery, West 27th Street, is showing 62 paintings and prints sourced from collectors and dealers by the Bankrobber Gallery, London. Banksy said on the front page of his Web site that the show was ``unlikely to be worth visiting.''

Banksy, born in Bristol, England, in 1975, has attracted buyers from Damien Hirst to hedge funds as his paintings rise in value, with the record of 322,900 pounds ($655,100) set in October. Banksy authorizes initial sales of his work through the Lazarides Gallery, his London-based primary dealer.

``This kind of thing is inevitable,'' Paul Stolper, a London print dealer said. ``Once the work is out there, the rules of the art market apply. There's money to be made.'' Artists are not able to declare secondary sales authorized or not: ``You can understand the dealer for doing the show and also Banksy's reaction,'' he said.

A spokeswoman at the Vanina Holasek Gallery, contacted by telephone, would only give her name as Maria and said of Banksy's comments: ``He's probably right.'' She refused to say more.

Banksy's Web Site also mentions his new Middle East show in Bethlehem, nothing that it is fully authorized ``but still unlikely to be worth visiting.''

The artist and the East London print publishers Picturesonwalls.com are staging the sixth annual ``Santa's Ghetto'' exhibition of street art in a former chicken shop in Manger Square, Bethlehem. Banksy has also sprayed new paintings on walls around the town. The five previous pre-Christmas charity ``ghettos'' were held at temporary venues in London.

``Every shekel made in the store will be used in local projects for children and young people,'' the organizers said on their Web site http://www.santasghetto.com. They said the gallery extends over three floors, hung with limited-edition prints by more than 30 artists including Banksy, Swoon, Paul Insect and 3D.

-- Editors: Mark Beech, Jim Ruane.

To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Reyburn in London at sreyburn@hotmail.com

Last Updated: December 7, 2007 05:08 EST