What if Banksy had orchestrated the biggest hoax in the history of street art?

Released in 2010, Banksy’s feature film “Exit Through the Gift Shop” released in 2010, looks back at the spectacular and controversial rise of Thierry Guetta. Known by the pseudonym Mr. Brainwash, this Los Angeles shop owner has become a true street art star.

Thierry Guetta has lived in the City of Angels since he was 15. Close to the iconic Banksy (as well as Obey and other local graffiti artists), he spent years filming them in the midst of their creative process and amassing footage that would serve as the basis for his first documentary. A project deemed “appalling” by Banksy, who summed up the result bluntly: “It’s nothing but shit.”

On Banksy’s advice, the amateur filmmaker put down the camera and decided to try his hand at urban art. Choosing a pseudonym that’s explicit to say the least— Brainwash—he started from the premise that “art in general is all about brainwashing.”

By 2008, Thierry Guetta had set up an industrial-scale operation and surrounded himself with hundreds of graphic designers and assistants to churn out photomontages, appropriations, and collages. At that time, the city’s walls were plastered with his creations. Taking pleasure in describing his approach as “leisure art,” the emerging artist quickly organized his first exhibition, "Life is Beautiful". He managed to sell a million dollars’ worth of artwork in… just one week! His commercial success was meteoric, despite a very harsh critical reception— New York Magazine didn’t hesitate to compare him to Borat.

Just a massive hoax?

Given this controversial rise to fame—deemed far too rapid—the film "Faites le mur" was labeled a “mockumentary” upon its release. Rumors of a hoax orchestrated by Banksy to criticize the gullibility and excesses of the art market only grew stronger. According to rumors, the British artist—who admits at the end of the documentary that Brainwash’s works “look like anyone’s”—initially planned to title his project “How to Sell Shit to Idiots.” So, is it all a setup or a true story?

Even today, doubt persists as Mr. Brainwash’s works fetch prices exceeding $100,000, fly off the shelves at international art galleries, and have even enabled him to open his own museum in Beverly Hills.