The First Graffiti Artist Of Britain Isn't Who You Think It Is

Imagine someone comes up to you and asks, "Who was the first graffiti artist?" and you're all, "I don't know, Banksy?" And then everyone artsy laughs and walks away. Embarrassing!

To prevent this hypothetical scenario from ever actually damaging your street art cred, we suggest watching the awesome 1976 short film above. Entitled "First Graffiti Artist," the doc follows British artist Walter Kershaw whose large-scale, public murals were all the rage in the 1970s. He's hailed as Britain's first graffiti artist and widely known as the "original Banksy."

Directed by Ian Potts when he was still an art student, the film explores the early days of spray cans, messages and mischief, far before the art world was paying attention. Let us know your thoughts on the little piece of street art history in the comments.

h/t Laughing Squid