The Brawl for the Wall: A Case for Street Art’s Respect Culture—Robbo vs. Banksy
Do not tag on houses, churches, or people’s cars. Leave no trace, avoid getting caught, and—above all—never paint over another more established artist's work.
Banksy, Graffiti is a Crime, 2013. Photo Courtesy: banksy.co.uk
Though graffiti was built on defying authority as well as challenging the status quo, there are a few unwritten rules that are respected within the graffiti artist community. These “rules” are not just about avoiding trouble, rather they exist to protect the very art form that thrives off of breaking the rules, ensuring both the community's respect and the integrity of the work itself. Within this subculture, a major point of contention is tradition versus commercialization.
Alongside these fundamental guidelines, many artists share a deep passion for self expression as opposed to profit. Often artists will remain anonymous and create work that shares a message, showcases their skill, and can be accessible to the public. When an artist prioritizes profit, their motivations can change. This results in a loss of authenticity and direction in their craft. Additionally, pursuit of commercializing graffiti is highly frowned upon by those street artists who value tradition. This struggle is evident in the famous feud between the UK’s most eminent graffiti artists, King Robbo and Banksy. Through their rivalry, we see a reflection of the deep respect and principles that underlie graffiti culture and why, for many, it remains the purest form of art.
All Hail King Robbo
For decades, the street artist known as King Robbo was regarded as the best. While he has always remained anonymous, his work was highly recognizable and was sprawled across London’s trains, tunnels, and streets. His legendary career took off in the early 90s. His goal was to cover as much of London as he could and have his work be seen by as many people as possible. For these reasons, he chose to create his work primarily on the London underground system, as described in an online documentary series Graffiti Wars, tube cars served as “an art gallery on wheels.” After years of being one of the most prominent graffiti artists, he humbly decided to retire in the early 2000s after feeling as though he had met his goals and no longer wanted to risk getting in trouble with the law. As the city evolved his works began to dissipate, until there was only one remaining Robbo piece left in London. Painted in 1985 beneath the British Police Transport Headquarters by Regent's Canal, Robbo Inc. became one of London’s oldest and most revered works of graffiti. It not only marked a signature moment in Robbo’s career but also stood as a historic symbol for other artists in the scene.
King Robbo/Robert Johnson, Robbo Inc, 1985. Photo Courtesy: Widewalls
Banksy Enters the Scene
Banksy is arguably the first graffiti artist to become a household name. Despite maintaining complete anonymity, his works have become instantly recognizable within the graffiti community. Known for their politically charged content, pop culture references, and playful critiques of humanity, Banksy’s pieces often carry subversive messages. Unlike Robbo, whose work was unique and hard to replicate, Banksy’s use of stencils made his art easily reproducible. This allowed him to create work more quickly, spreading it further, and eventually making it commercially viable. His art’s marketability led to gallery exhibitions and auction sales, signaling a shift toward mainstream acceptance. This put Banksy in the position to be easily disliked by many graffiti artists in London at the time of his up and coming success, namely, by Robbo—who had a personal disdain for Banksy's practice and his lack of regard for the rules.
Robbo vs. Banksy
The tension between Robbo and Banksy reached its breaking point in the early 2000s. By this time, Robbo had retired, and Banksy had risen to fame. While the exact cause of their feud remains speculative, the point of no return came in 2009 when Banksy painted over Robbo’s last remaining piece on Regent’s Canal.
Banksy, Wallpaperer, 2009, London. Photo Courtesy: Dave NoLionsinEngland, Graffoto.co.uk
Banksy’s decision to paint over part of Robbo’s work was a direct assault to the core principles of graffiti culture. This act sparked outrage within the community, as well as a personal backlash from Robbo. In response, Robbo came out of retirement to restore his piece on Regent’s Canal, signaling both a return to the scene and a public defense of his legacy. For Robbo, this wasn’t just about reclaiming his artwork, it was a stand for the values and traditions that defined him as a graffiti artist and to stand up for his community.
After Banksy had defaced his work, King Robbo retaliated by reclaiming the wall:
King Robbo, 2009, London. Photo Courtesy: Sarah Lee, thegaurdian.com
Banksy fired back, vandalizing Robbo’s comeback piece.
Banksy, 2010. Photo Courtesy: twistedswifter.com
Robbo attempted to rectify his name and the wall a second time. Unofficially, this segment of cement became their fighting grounds.
King Robbo, 2010, London. Photo Courtesy: twistedswifter.com
In a censorial act, a third party painted over the wall entirely in black.
2010. Photo Courtesy: twistedswifter.com
Robbo revitalized the Brawl, making a jab at Banksy and his dwindling career in July of 2010.
Robbo, 2010. Photo Courtesy: twistedswifter.com
The wall was painted over again by an external party…
2010. Photo Courtesy: twistedswifter.com
Banksy used the black wall to create his own conceptual piece, having no relation to Robbo & leaving people confused at the seemingly unrelated gesture.
Banksy, London, 2011. Photo Courtesy: twistedswifter.com
The rivalry is finally put to rest, after King Robo unexpectedly passes again from a traumatic brain injury fall. Banksy puts the past behind him and paints a memorial for Robbo, roughly depicting the first piece that Robbo had made on the Regent’s Canal.
Banksy, 2011. Photo Courtesy: twistedswifter.com
At its core, Graffiti, is a form of art that challenges societal rules, but it is also guided by and built off of an unspoken code of respect among artists. Robbo, as the king of traditional graffiti, represented the spirit of respect and rebellion, while Banksy’s rise to mainstream fame highlighted qualities of ego and political expression. Robbo was creating art that was appreciated, understood, and recognized primarily by other graffiti artists who respected the culture, its unwritten codes, and the craftsmanship involved. Meanwhile, Banksy, with little regard for these rules, began attracting mainstream attention, shifting the graffiti world from a "if you know, you know" scene, where only fellow artists truly appreciated the work, to one that now gained interest from the general public whom had little understanding or respect for its underlying culture.
Graffiti is often dismissed as lacking true artistic value or as the product of insurgence and disrespect to a society. However, the infamous feud between Robbo and Banksy challenges this one sided perspective. It serves as a reminder that graffiti culture is rooted in a code of respect, both for the urban canvas it is created on and for fellow artists. This rivalry highlights the balance between artistic freedom and code of conduct rooted in integrity, offering a deeper understanding of graffiti as an art form that is as much about community as it is about self expression.
Bibliography
‘Graffiti Rules,’ Graffstorm, 2024.
https://graffstorm.com/graffiti-rules#:~:text=The%20unwritten%20rule%20is%20that,was%20a%20piece%20under%20yours.
‘Robbo: The King of Graffiti and The End of an Era,’ Vice, 2024.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/robbo-rip-876/
‘The Story Behind Banksy: The World's Most Elusive Street Artist,’ Smithsonian Magazine, 2024.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-story-behind-banksy-4310304/
‘Why People Deface Banksy’s Work,’ New York Post, 2024.
https://nypost.com/2013/10/25/why-people-deface-banksys-work/#:~:text=Longer%20answer%3A%20Banksy's%20not%20playing,of%20the%20whole%20art%20world.
Auden Walter
En Plein Air Co-Editor, MADEIN BED
