The idea of the film was born from Thierry Guetta. Guetta was obsessed with two things: his video camera and graffiti art. After following around legendary artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey , Guetta decides to pick up the hobby himself. Long story short, he winds up a celebrity nearly overnight and puts on a gallery selling his pieces for thousands of dollars.
This is where the story gets controversial. The whole purpose of this "street art" movement was supposed to be about anonymity, social issues, and political or anti-government statements. It challenged people and ideas, it made people rethink what surrounded them. What Banksy is trying to point out in a polite way is that Guetta a.k.a. "Mr. Brainwash" basically destroyed the essence of street art by exploiting it. I think Guetta was truly inspired by the movement, but instead of taking it to heart and understanding the deeper meaning of it, he saw it as a new thrill. He recreated images that he'd seen throughout his years of filming that inspired him. And in doing so he hired other artists as minions to create the work he visualized. Guetta ended up selling almost a million dollars worth of artwork throughout his first show "Life is Beautiful". He seemed more interested in the media before the show than actually finalizing the display. Many people may very well call him a phony or a joke. However you have to give the gentleman kudos for his passion. He seemed so enthusiastic and motivated by his visions and the final pieces. His work is surely art but it doesn't seem entirely original. Although we are all inspired by what we witness, recreating someone else's idea and selling it for massive profit doesn't make it original.
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