11. Washing Zebra Stripes – Timbuktu, Mali A woman washing zebra stripes was painted by Banksy in the capital city of Mali, Timbuktu and shows a “naked” zebra standing by as his stripes are hung up to dry by an African lady. There appears to be little in the way of any obvious meaning to this piece. It is a playful piece, but maybe the fact that it appeared in the drought-ridden country of Mali and the absurdity of using water in such a frivolous way points to an issue that perhaps the western world could, and should, do more to help impoverished people in the developing world.

10. Sweep it Under the Carpet – London (Image credit: Canon Snapper) Possibly one of the most recognisable Banksy artworks, Sweep it Under the Carpet appeared on a wall on Chalk Farm Road, North London in around 2006. It shows a woman dressed as a maid who is sweeping dirt under the cover of a brick wall. The piece is said to represent the reluctance of the western world to deal with global issues such as the AIDS epidemic, amongst others.   Sweep it Under the Carpet – approx location

9. Snorting Copper – London (Image credit:  Banksy Unmasked ) This “Snorting Copper” stencil began appearing from 2005 in several places in London, including behind Waterloo Station (Leake Street) as well as in Shoreditch (Curtain Street). The artworks also included several miles of paint “dribble” which trailed through the city and led to the stencil representing a ‘line’ of coke. This piece by Banksy is unquestionably a dig at the immorality and corruption sometimes prevalent in the police force. Perhaps not too surprisingly, this piece was removed.  Snorting Copper – approx location (Leake Street)

8. Bomb Hugger – London The picture of a young girl hugging a bomb to her chest was one of Banksy’s original creations back in 2003, where it was reproduced on a wall in London’s East End. The piece symbolises the horror of war next to the innocence and purity of the young girl – good and evil unified and questioned as to why we inherently indulge in war and fighting when peace can be all around us. Thought-provoking stuff.

7. This is not a Photo Opportunity – Cheddar Gorge, Somerset (Image credit:  Art With Zoe and Emma ) In one of the more unusually-placed positions, the white-stencilled words “This is not a Photo Opportunity” appear approximately 40 metres up a steep, rocky path just off Cliff Road (B3135) in the picturesque Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. It first appeared in around 2004 and although it has weathered significantly since then it’s outline is still visible. This is not a Photo Opportunity – approx location

6. Steam Roller Traffic Warden – London (Image credit:  Bristol Street Art Blog ) The Steam Roller Traffic Warden appeared on a steam roller parked at the kerbside in Lewisham, London in 2009 and is less thought-provoking, more plain amusing. Let’s face it, nobody likes traffic wardens (right?!) so this is a highly comical piece made even more amusing by the way the warden throws his arms up in the air.

5. Man Hanging From Window – Bristol   (Image credit:  Bristol Post ) This is perhaps one of the most famous of all Banksy pieces and shows a man hanging from a window after his clandestine affair looks set to be discovered by his mistress’s husband. With typical Banksy irony, it was daubed on the side of a sexual health clinic in Frogmore Street, although according to the clinic’s director in the book “ Home Sweet Home “, when Banksy was told this by email he responded to say that hadn’t realised it was a sexual health clinic and thought it was really funny. In the last few years the graffiti was unfortunately vandalised with blue paint, but it remains there to this day, albeit in the vandalised state.  Man Hanging From Window location

4. The Grim Reaper (Thekla) – Bristol (Image credit:  Wikipedia ) The Thekla boat in Bristol was originally tagged by Banksy in 2003. The moored nightclub boat’s owners posted an image of the “tag” on their website and asked their customers whether it should stay. The response was to keep it, but Bristol City Council later ordered its removal. Years after its removal, Banksy returned and re-painted the Grim Reaper in the same spot where it remains to this day.  Grim Reaper (Thekla) location

3. One Nation Under CCTV – London (Image credit:  Information Liberation ) This was one of Banksy’s largest pieces, appearing in London in 2008. How he managed to pull this off is still something of a mystery because he erected 3 storeys of scaffolding (behind a security fence) seemingly under the watchful gaze of a CCTV camera, which was positioned just to the right of this shot. The message of the graffiti is heavily ironic, given the context. It has since been removed.  One Nation Under CCTV location

2.  Rage, Flower Thrower  – Jerusalem This appeared in Jerusalem in 2003 and is perhaps one of Banksy’s most well-known pieces. To many people it is a symbol of peace and hope in the face of adversity and destruction. The masked rioter is throwing not a “Molotov Cocktail” but a bunch of flowers and the image was featured heavily in Banksy’s 2005 book entitled “Wall and Piece”.

1.  The Mild Mild West  – Bristol Many people believe that this piece stems from the Bristol riots back in the early 1980’s, but according to Jim Paine in the book “Home Sweet Home” that isn’t true at all. In the late 90’s in Bristol there were many free, unlicensed parties at various warehouses across the city. There was trouble at one such party at Winterstoke Road, where according to Jim “ Many of the crowd that night were assaulted by police…it marked the beginning of a more hardline approach from the police, using violence as a method of breaking up parties “. The “Mild Mild West” was painted by Banksy on the side of a building in Stokes Croft, Bristol and was done over the course of 3 days in broad daylight. It remains there to this day.  Mild Mild West location .

The other Banksy mural to appear in New York shows a rat running around a clock. The building is set to be demolished to make way for condos. It is currently not know if the mural has a hidden message.

UPDATED 2018! 127 Amazing Banksy Graffiti Artworks With Locations Banksy is without doubt the world’s most famous and celebrated graffiti artist. To some, his works of art are poignant, thought-provoking, ironic and humorous. To others, it is just plain vandalism. Whichever side of the fence you are on, there can be no doubt that he is a very talented and clever artist and conveys his views in a way that many of us could not manage to do. I have put together here a list of the best Banksy graffiti art and street art pieces, with as many as possible showing the various locations of his artworks and with Google “Street Map” views where applicable. So here goes….  Two brand new Banksy pieces! Banksy's latest piece in New York shows Zehra Dogan, a Kurdish painter from Turkey. The last jail bar on the art is a pencil and next to the mural, Banksy calls for her realise. The mural is 20m tall.

Send all questions, complaints and threats to  faq@banksy.co.uk . Banksy is NOT on Facebook, Twitter or represented by Steve Lazarides or any other commercial gallery.