Thierry Guetta born January 31, , best known by his moniker Mr. Brainwash , is a French-born Los Angeles —based street artist. According to the Banksy -directed film Exit Through the Gift Shop , Guetta was a proprietor of a used clothing store, and amateur videographer who was first introduced to street art by his cousin, the street artist Invader , and who filmed street artists through the s and became an artist in his own right in a matter of weeks after an off-hand suggestion from Banksy.
A number of critics [ who? Banksy insists on his official website, however, that Exit Through the Gift Shop is authentic and that Guetta is not part of a prank. His work sold for five-figure sums at his self-financed debut exhibit Life Is Beautiful , due, it is thought, [ who? The exhibit was held in Los Angeles, California, on June 18, , and was a popular [ 2 ] success. In , Madonna paid Guetta to design the cover art for her Celebration album.
Guetta was issued with a stormtrooper helmet, which he transformed into a work of art. Proceeds went to the Missing Tom Fund set up by Ben Moore to find his brother Tom who has been missing for over ten years.
Brainwash's first solo show, Life Is Beautiful , opened in the summer of , in a former T. Life Is Beautiful attracted thousands of people who lined the streets for blocks.
Featuring a foot robot, a pyramid made of 20, books and a life-size recreation of Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks," Life Is Beautiful' s exhibition time extended to three months, attracting a total of 50, visitors. The previous night the street outside the gallery was sprayed with paint by RSH as a statement about the false nature of Mr. Brainwash's artwork. Brainwash made his Canadian debut at the Toronto International Film Festival in , by placing installations all over the city.
