Is Windsor wall painting really by Banksy? Locals, experts share skepticism

It has been a week since a piece of street art appeared overnight in Windsor, prompting speculation that the internationally known street artist Banksy was recently in Wine Country.

The image of a silhouetted girl whose red, heart-shaped balloon is leaving her grasp, was spotted on the side of the Windsor Masonic Lodge building. Since then, it has been photographed frequently and debated in public and on social media.

The big question is: Was this art really created by Banksy, the mysterious, pseudonymous street artist?

While local artists, arts advocates and experts agree it’s impossible to know for sure, skepticism pervades their responses.

“It seems unlikely that the Banksy art in Windsor is authentic, but there are theories that Banksy is actually a collective which means maybe it’s possible. There are other theories about Banksy, including that ‘he’ is actually a ‘she,’” said Jeff Nathanson, executive director of the Museum of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa.

“It would be exciting to find out Banksy — whoever they are — left their mark locally,” he added, “but it’s more likely it’s a prank by a copycat.”

Nathanson’s doubts are shared by others in the Sonoma County arts community.

“Personally, I find it highly unlikely that Banksy would leave a work in Windsor. His work outside the UK is usually either highly strategic and political (Ukraine, occupied Palestian territories, New Orleans post-Katrina, etc.), or connected to an organized Banksy-related art event, film release, etc. Windsor does not fit these contexts,” said Jennifer Bethke, a lecturer in art history at Sonoma State University and interim director of the campus art gallery.

Banksy’s most recognizable piece is 2002’s “Girl With Balloon,” which shows a silhouetted girl losing her red, heart-shaped balloon — the reverse image of which has appeared on the building in Windsor.

“It is the work of Banksy as it is a stencil of a piece of his intellectual property,” according to an Instagram comment from the Russian River Art Gallery in Guerneville.

An unauthorized exhibition, which displayed numerous Banksy works that were bought by individuals, ran from November 2021 to February 2022 at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Another exhibit, Banksyland, ended a three-day run Dec. 4 in San Jose.

His work can also be seen in the U.S. in New York City, New Orleans and Park City, Utah.

Banksy's latest acknowledged artwork appeared in Borodyanka on the outskirts of Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Banksy confirmed his presence in Ukraine in mid-November after unveiling his latest artwork on Instagram, captioned “Borodyanka, Ukraine.”

The Windsor piece has had no such verification.

Jill Plamann, former owner of the Hammerfriar Gallery in Healdsburg, offered her own assessment.

“I live in Windsor so it was easy for me to view the graffiti in question,” she said. “I seriously doubt that Banksy would place his iconic stencil as high up as it is on the building. I think the girl’s feet would be touching the ground. Another thing I question is that it’s placed in the back of the building. His works are usually in plain sight so I would expect it on the side of the building.”

Local mural painters had their own doubts.

“I highly doubt it is Banksy, usually when he goes to a city he does multiple pieces and is hosted by a local writer or artist. This is also an older piece of his and he doesn't typically redo artwork. He is one of the most copied artists of our time and this is probably just that, “ Santa Rosa muralist MJ Lindo-Lawyer said.

Ultimately, arts advocates welcome any turn of events that gets the public talking about art, whether or not the supposed Banksy painting in Windsor is legitimate .

“I am no Banksy expert, so couldn't really say,” Sonoma County muralist Amanda Lynn said. “Either way, I am glad to see public art happening in Windsor.”

You can reach Staff Writer Dan Taylor at dan.taylor@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5243. On Twitter @danarts.