The Banksy vs Robbo War in Pictures «TwistedSifter | king robbo banksy graffiti warsking robbo banksy graffiti wars
London’s graffiti writers interpreted this is an act of boldness appear one of their own. Robbo was by now continued “retired”, and alive as a cobbler in King’s Cross. But he was abundantly offended, and on Christmas morning 2009 he absitively to act. The bank in catechism was attainable alone from the canal, so he dressed in a wet suit, approached the bank by agency of an aggrandized air mattress, and got to work. Banksy’s workman, instead of applying wallpaper, was now painting the words: KING ROBBO. Robbo went on to adapt all four Banksys forth the canal, signing them “Team Robbo” (a advertence to those who anticipation of Robbo as the King of London graffiti and were durably on his ancillary in the war adjoin Banksy).
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The Banksy vs Robbo War in Pictures «TwistedSifter | king robbo banksy graffiti warsOther, similar, incidents followed. One of Banksy’s best-known works – an angel of three accouchement hoisting a Tesco bag “flag” on the ancillary of an Islington chemist’s boutique – was adapted so the artificial bag bore the tag “HRH King Robbo”.
The assignment by Banksy as adapted by King Robbo in Islington, arctic London (REX)
For his part, Banksy denied painting over Robbo’s work: “I corrective over a allotment that said 'mrphfgdfrhdgf’. I acquisition it surreal aback graffiti writers get careful over assertive locations. I anticipation that accepting a accidental attitude appear acreage buying was an capital allotment of actuality a vandal.”
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The Banksy vs Robbo War in Pictures «TwistedSifter | king robbo banksy graffiti warsRobbo and Banksy had met one addition in the backward 1990s in an East London bar, and according to Robbo it was not a blessed encounter. He told Will Ellsworth-Jones, columnist of Banksy: The Man Behind the Wall: “He was annihilation at the time. And I said 'Hello, I’ve apparent your name about — although I hadn’t — and he went... 'I don’t apperceive who you are’... So I went blast and accord him a backhander. I said 'You ability not accept heard of me, but you’ll never ******* balloon me, will you?’... He was actuality disrespectful.” Banksy denied that this adventure anytime took place.
In contempo years King Robbo's assignment has amorphous to adore bartering address (ALAMY)
In the attitude of graffiti writers, Robbo autonomous for anonymity. He was built-in John Robertson on October 23 1969 into a banal ancestors in London. As a jailbait he was a baldheaded and football hooligan: “I acclimated to adhere out with the big boys and they acclimated to address their names on walls,” he after said. “They’d consistently put an 'o’ on the end to let bodies apperceive they were skinheads. That’s why I became Robbo.”
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The Banksy vs Robbo War in Pictures «TwistedSifter | king robbo banksy graffiti warsAfter he was expelled from academy he went to assignment at his uncle’s architecture firm; by night, he corrective graffiti: “My parents couldn’t accept why I did it. Why do it if there’s no money in it? I couldn’t explain to them that it was my affection for creating art. It was like a dopamine fix, all that adrenaline... I concluded up [in 1984] accomplishing a big allotment aloof abreast [what is now] the Emirates Stadium, aloof beneath the arch on Hornsey Road. I was as adventurous as brass. It said 'The Master Robbo’ with a Ghostbuster appearance and a big splat! It was absolutely big.”
King Robbo (CHANNEL 4)
During a abrupt spell at a academy in Northamptonshire (his adolescent pupils “were all skinheads and mods on Lambrettas”), he started a graffiti aggregation alleged The Artmasters, and on his acknowledgment to London he pursued his developing affection for “train writing”, which had the added allure of authoritative his assignment adaptable — and appropriately broadly apparent — as tube trains travelled about the city: “I acclimated to go maybe four-five nights a anniversary to the alternation yard, as abundant as I could. I went aback to application beeline letters, New York style, so aback the alternation went accomplished at 40mph you could still apprehend the Robbo... Aback it’s angle aphotic and there are bodies aggravating to hunt you, you hone your abilities absolutely fast. It’s the best art academy I could accept gone to.” Despite the efforts of the carrying police, he claimed never to accept been arrested, and he was anon a celebrity in the graffiti community.
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All Categories - Dan's Artwork | king robbo banksy graffiti warsWill Ellsworth-Jones recounts how Robbo and some of his adolescent writers corrective the tube trains at Aldgate East Underground base on Christmas Day 1988 (Christmas Day was a prime time for graffiti, aback the blow of the world’s absorption was elsewhere): “Robbo... did a recce of the station... bound up a ladder abreast the atom accessible for aback they bare it [and] arranged a little bang box in his haversack to accommodate the music while they painted... One by one they climbed over a aerial bank from the street, bottomward the ladder, now extended, that Robbo had retrieved and on to the alternation roof. From the roof they were apace bottomward beside the tracks. The CCTV cameras were put out of action, and again the alternation was all theirs. They chose a carrying anniversary and went to work.” Robbo had alike anticipation to accompany forth a canteen of Moët & Chandon champagne.
By the aboriginal Nineties, however, the badge were more arise down, and Robbo absitively to get out: “I had accomplished what could be achieved. I was absolutely blessed to booty the aback bench and alive addition life.”
Over the accomplished bristles years, the graffiti writers accept started to adore a admeasurement of bartering appeal, and Robbo too was tempted by this development. His assignment has been apparent at four exhibitions, including at the Pure Evil and Signal galleries in London. One of his pieces was offered at £12,000.
In 2011 he was abiding to his London collapsed aback he allegedly fell, adversity a austere arch injury; he went into a blackout from which he never emerged. The graffiti autograph association rallied annular to accession funds for his care. An bargain aloft £30,000 from donated works, and a auction of his own pieces after aloft addition £28,000. He is survived by a son and two daughters.
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King Robbo – Death of the British Graffiti Artist and Banksy's ... | king robbo banksy graffiti warsKing Robbo, built-in October 23 1969, died July 31 2014
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