I watched "Exit Through the Gift Shop" today & it left me feeling like I had watched the emperor pass by in his new clothes... There has been some question over whether Banksy has been selling out since he's been making money from his street art, but I feel that he is entitled to do that because he had a message to convey. He has contributed to a rise of a revolution, taking risks & honing his artistic ability.
However, in the case of Thierry Guetta, I felt like he was just a cheap imitation. He was just poorly mimicking what he saw & did not understand the first thing about art. Perhaps my view is too idealistic & my significant other commented that it's art if people think is art. I know this is an age old question, but I just felt so cheated by Guetta & he unwitting proved that people are mindless lemmings under the hype machine.
On a side note, I thought it was really cool that one of Kate Moss & Jaime Hince's friends arranged for Banksy to break into their home & graffiti their bathroom. Now, I wonder if that counters my argument regarding his "selling out."
