Mr. Brainwash

Thierry Guetta, born on January 31, 1966, is a French-born street artist better known by his moniker, Mr. Brainwash. Based in Los Angeles, he gained fame through the 2010 Banksy-directed documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop. Initially a used clothing store owner and amateur videographer, Guetta was introduced to street art by his cousin, the artist Invader. Throughout the 2000s, he filmed various street artists, eventually becoming an artist himself after a casual suggestion from Banksy.

Many critics have noted that Guetta’s works closely resemble the styles and concepts of Banksy, leading to speculation that he might be an elaborate hoax orchestrated by Banksy, who could have created the artworks himself. However, Banksy has stated on his official website that Exit Through the Gift Shop is genuine and that Guetta is not part of any prank.

Guetta’s debut exhibition, titled Life Is Beautiful, was self-financed and took place in Los Angeles on June 18, 2008. The show was a commercial success, with his artwork selling for five-figure amounts, attributed in part to the hype surrounding the street art market and endorsements from Banksy and fellow artist Shepard Fairey. In 2009, Madonna commissioned Guetta to design the cover art for her album Celebration.

In October 2013, Guetta participated in the Art Wars exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery, curated by Ben Moore. He was given a stormtrooper helmet to transform into a piece of art, with proceeds going to the Missing Tom Fund, which was established by Moore to aid in the search for his brother, Tom, who has been missing for over a decade. The artwork was also showcased at the Regents Park platform as part of Art Below Regents Park.