, Columnist
Banksy Proves Art Is Hype. Or Not.
The price of a genuine Banksy: Â $249,000 at Bonhams, $60 in Central Park.
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Art is not worth much without the mystique that dealers and critics attach to it. Fashionable street artist Banksy has provided experimental proof of this fact by reproducing, in visual art, a legendary happening by the Washington Post's Gene Weingarten and violinist Joshua Bell.
In 2007, Weingarten persuadedBell, one of the world's most accomplished classical violinists, to play his priceless Stradivari instrument for 43 minutes in the Washington subway. Bell played, but no crowd gathered, and the soloist collected only $32.17 from passers-by.