Michael Bloomberg: ‘Banksy Isn’t An Artist’

New York City’s biggest control freak isn’t a fan of New York City’s newest resident.

The renowned British street artist known as Banksy is taking up a month-long “residency” in New York, painting his quirky, message-laden works anonymously on the city’s walls. And Mayor Michael Bloomberg really wishes he would stop.

Though known for his generosity for the arts, Mayor Bloomberg isn’t a fan of Banksy’s work for a simple reason: It’s painted on walls. No matter what it is, if it’s on a wall, it’s graffiti and shows urban decay and lack of government control.

Per WCBS 880’s Rich Lamb:

“Graffiti does ruin people’s property and is a sign of decay and a loss of control,” Bloomberg said. “Art is art, and nobody’s a bigger supporter of the arts than I am. I just think there are some places for art, and there are some places (for) no art. And you running up to someone’s property or public property and defacing it is not my definition of art.”

Banksy has been posting his latest murals to Instagram and on his website, and his fans have followed his work throughout the city. As soon as he posts a new photo, hundreds of people flock to the new site.

“It’s exciting, it’s an event,” one fan said of Banksy’s residency.

“It’s a rush,” another fan said. “It’s a game, a scavenger hunt.”

One of Banksy’s recent pieces was a 9/11 tribute in TriBeca, featuring the Twin Towers.