For me, it started in 2005 when I saw an image of Kate Moss in homage to Marilyn Monroe in the iconic series of paintings and prints by Andy Warhol. It brought a smile to my face and I put it to one side on my desk. 
A few days later I came across a very different image, this time harrowing and disturbing. Napalm was its title, poignant and topical; a disturbing interpretation of the heartbreaking 1972 photograph of a Vietnamese girl severly burnt from napalm bombing. In this version the child is flanked by Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald. I wanted to learn who was the artist and thereafter found myself hooked on Banksy. I am an art collector who happens to be an art dealer. A most frustrating combination: making a living selling art which I prefer to keep for myself. 
The further I explored the output of Banksy the more I wanted to tell other collectors about his work. At the end of 2006 I had already scheduled a selling exhibition of artworks by Damien Hirst, and in the last moments decided to broaden the concept so I could include the works of Banksy and learn what my collectors would think and say about this artwork. Would they be surprised or uncomfortable finding a street artist amongst household names? Somehow, I have always found myself surrounded by collectors who have a genuine love for the art they buy, engage in interesting conversations around each acquisition and rarely discuss selling. So perhaps I should not have been as surprised after all at the response. 
At the opening night of the exhibition, entitled Damien Hirst and his Contemporaries all the Banksy art works sold within the hour to mindful collectors who shared my new fascination for this artist. They didn’t previously know of Banksy or his art, they liked the artworks for what they are.
And so started a journey which continues today: having been part of the process of bringing an underground movement to the attention of art lovers that would not normally consider walking into an art gallery; and introducing established collectors to a new world of art. I pursued artworks by this elusive artist. Doing so was filled with highs and lows, fun and disappointments that culminated in yet another change to our exhibition program for 2007 by inserting a solo exhibition of Banksy art from the collection I put together for the gallery. 
On the first Saturday after the opening, I was several minutes’ walk away from the gallery, with my newspaper and cup of coffee in hand, when I saw a long line of people politely standing in a queue. Wondering what this was all about I walked past several hundred people of every age and nationality. How exciting until... yes, it started at the front door of Andipa Gallery. In the following few weeks we had over 35,000 visitors to the exhibition and employed crowd control to safeguard the queues. Ironically, the crowds needed more protection from irritated Knightsbridge shoppers than from the fast cars passing the narrow street. 
From there onwards everything took its own natural momentum. Rumours abounded that Banksy had left his only dealer to join Andipa! A nice thought but most unlikely then as it is now. Film crews, television networks and international newspapers filled the gallery before and after opening hours. The market escalated and escalated without any design. The market just took it up and ran with it... and ran and ran. Happy times. I introduced the work of Banksy to collectors from many backgrounds who had, until that time, only collected artists such as Picasso, Lichtenstein, Hockney, Hirst and other major international painters and yet, here they were, adding Banksy paintings to their magnificent collections. Unfortunately, however, when the market grows and becomes lucrative it also naturally changes. Motivations are no longer clear. Intentions not so truthful. Art becomes a commodity and a trophy. It is a shame that no matter what the artist produces, how engaging the artworks or public events which focus on social inadequacies – what most people read and talk of is their monetary value.
It is no longer for the pleasure that this art can give or the questions that it can ask, it is now mostly about the value that it holds as a currency. We see this in the explosion of brokers and internet sites which self-proclaim to be trustworthy sellers of this commodity. Everyone is a Banksy expert. Everyone is an art consultant. But I’m still happy my phone rang fourteen years ago... what a fun journey it continues to be.
For more information on any of our Banksy original artworks for sale or to buy Banksy signed and unsigned prints, contact Andipa via sales@andipa.com or call +44 (0)20 7581 1244.