ABOVE: Some of British graffiti-prankster/interventionist Banksy’s handiwork. See more at banksy.co.uk

NEWSgrist pointed out this New York Times story about the English graffiti-artist Banksy, who has popped up in North America doing his interventionist-type thing at the American Museum of Natural History, the Brooklyn Museum, MoMA, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Met curators found a painting of a woman wearing a gas mask stuck on their wall, and the museum’s reaction was almost comically upper-East-side: “I think it’s fair to say that it would take more than a piece of Scotch tape to get a work of art into the Met,” sniffed spokeswoman Elyse Topalian.

Banksy’s paintings—at least judging from the ones posted on his website—are actually quite nicely done. His more voluminous stencil work, spray-painted on outdoor surfaces around Britain, are undeniably skillful, regardless of whether you think it’s legit art or not.

Anyway, it’s better than vomiting all over the place.

The New York Times > Need Talent to Exhibit in Museums? Not This Prankster