Artnet Ranks Top 30 Street Artists: Banksy Leads, Blu Third, Maupal Surprises at 21

Artnet has published a ranking of the top 30 street artists globally, with Banksy taking the number one spot due to his quality, trendsetting ability, and enduring anonymity. Justin Bettman of New York ranks second, known for temporary photographic sets on sidewalks. Italian artist Blu is third, noted for erasing his works in Bologna to protest the normalization of street art. Shepard Fairey is eighth, possibly affected by the end of the Obama era. French artists Invader and JR are 15th and 17th respectively. Los Angeles-based REVOK is 25th, and Swoon is 29th. Surprising is Roman artist Maupal at 21st, known for depictions of Pope Francis; his recent papal-themed work was removed from a wall, sparking controversy involving mayor Virginia Raggi. The ranking is described as unilateral and empirical but comes from a leading art media outlet.