King Robbo

Robbo painted his first train in 1985 and with WRH (We Rock Hard) created graffiti throughout the London Underground network with his crew members, DOZE, P.I.C, PRIME AND CHOCI. {{Citation needed|reason=Need source for crew members|date=April 2024}}

File:King Robbo.jpg

In 1985, 15-year-old Robbo painted a graffiti work under the British Transport Police headquarters on a wall beside Regent's CanalEvans, Daniel (7 September 2011). "Banksy calls for graffiti show inquiry". Western Daily Press. in Camden, London, which was only accessible by water. A large full colour graffiti piece, called "Robbo Incorporated", it had over the years become the oldest piece of graffiti in London. Over time, virtually all of his works had been gradually removed from London's trains and walls by authorities except for this piece. By 2009, Robbo Incorporated had become completely obscured under other graffiti painted over it. In that year, the English stencil artist Banksy converted it into a picture of a workman pasting wallpaper of Robbo's undamaged work, replacing the more than half of the damaged original in the process.{{cite web |url=https://twistedsifter.com/2012/01/banksy-vs-robbo-war-in-pictures/ | title=The Banksy vs Robbo War in Pictures | date=2012-01-12 | access-date=2023-03-21}}

Robbo stated that Banksy was introduced to him for the first time in the 1990s, commenting: "I was at a place called the Dragon Bar on Old Street. I was introduced to a couple of guys who were like '[W]hoa it's nice to meet you!' When I was introduced to Banksy, I went 'Oh yeah I've heard of you mate, how you doing?' and he went '[W]ell I've never heard of you' ... he dismissed me as a nobody, as nothing. So with that I slapped him and went '[O]h what you ain't heard of me? [Y]ou won't forget me now will you?' [A]nd with that he picked up his glasses and ran off."Marcus Williamson, "Life in Brief: King Robbo Graffiti Artist". i, 21 August 2014. p. 12.

On Christmas Day 2009, Robbo reclaimed his piece from Banksy's defacing by covering the work so the workman appeared to be painting "KING ROBBO" in silver letters. Three days later the letters "FUC" appeared before the word "KING".{{cite web| url=http://www.sabotagetimes.com/people/my-graffiti-war-with-banksy-by-king-robbo/|

title=My Graffiti War with Banksy By King Robbo|

author=Jo Fuertes-Knight|

publisher=Sabotage Times|

access-date=15 August 2011|

archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819215549/http://www.sabotagetimes.com/people/my-graffiti-war-with-banksy-by-king-robbo/|

archive-date=19 August 2011| url-status=usurped}}{{cite news|

title=The gloves are off: Graffiti legend King Robbo has resurfaced to settle a score with Banksy|

author=Matilda Battersby|

date=21 April 2011|

newspaper=The Independent|

url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/the-gloves-are-off-graffiti-legend-king-robbo-has-resurfaced-to-settle-a-score-with-banksy-2270575.html|

access-date=15 August 2011}} Tit-for-tat overpainting continued at the site with artwork and insults including a picture of Top Cat leaning on a gravestone with the words "R.I.P. Banksy's career".{{cite web|

url=http://www.artfido.com/blog/banksy-vs-king-robbo-street-art-vs-graffiti/|

title=Banksy vs King Robbo (Street art vs Graffiti)|

date=17 October 2013|

access-date=1 August 2014}}

This incident led to online arguments and a graffiti war with many of Banksy's other works being altered by "Team Robbo"—notable ones including the piece Hitchhiker to Anywhere where the "anywhere" was changed to "going nowhere".

In 2014, LDNGraffiti published an illustrated timeline of the feud.{{cite web|url=http://www.ldngraffiti.co.uk/blog/banksyvsrobbo/timeline.html|title=LDN Blog – Banksy vs Robbo – Timeline updated: 01/08/2014.|website=ldngraffiti.co.uk}}

In 2015, Banksy included a piece dedicated to Robbo in the Dismaland exhibition.{{cite web|last1=Cotton|first1=Steve|title=A visit to Banksy's Dismaland with Sleaford Mods|url=http://www.caughtinthecrossfire.com/music/a-visit-to-banksys-dismaland-with-sleaford-mods/|website=Crossfire|access-date=22 September 2015|date=22 September 2015}}

On 2 April 2011, Robbo sustained a life-threatening head injury five days prior to his exhibition at the Signal Gallery, Shoreditch: "Team Robbo—The Sell Out Tour". It is believed the injury happened as a result of an accidental fall. Robbo was found in a pool of blood at the bottom of 10 stairs outside his flat in King's Cross.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-30339046|title=Banksy rival 'died of head injury'|publisher=BBC News |date=5 December 2014}} In November 2011, three months after the airing of the Channel 4 documentary Graffiti Wars, the Camden Robbo mural was painted over with a black and white depiction of the original with the additions of a crown and a can of spray paint with a hazard symbol of a flame above it. It was painted by Banksy as "a tribute to him and as an effort to end the feud in a sense of lighting a candle for Robbo who was still in comatose condition".{{cite web|url=http://streetartlondon.co.uk/blog/robbo-inc-returns-courtesy-banksy/|title='Robbo inc.' returns courtesy of Banksy?|date=11 November 2011|publisher=Street Art London|access-date=28 January 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://londonstreetartdesign.blogspot.com/2012/01/robbo-piece-reproduced-by-team-robbo.html|title=Robbo Piece Reproduced by Team Robbo (Camden) |date=11 January 2012|publisher=London Street Art Design Magazine, Issue 8 – Walls of Perception OUT NOW|access-date=28 January 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.banksy.co.uk/QA/camden/camden4.html |title=Banksy – Questions |date=12 November 2011 |publisher=Banksy Official Site |access-date=7 February 2012 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717211106/http://www.banksy.co.uk/QA/camden/camden4.html |archive-date=17 July 2012 }} The mural was restored to its original form with slight changes by the other members of "Team Robbo" on 24 December 2011, Christmas Eve.{{cite web|url=http://www.jonhammer.com/blog/2011/12/29/winter-warmer-robbo-ruin-restored/|title=Winter Warmer- Robbo Ruin Restored!|author=Jon Hammer|date=29 December 2011|publisher=Jon Hammer – Painting and Graffiti|access-date=28 January 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301092209/http://www.jonhammer.com/blog/2011/12/29/winter-warmer-robbo-ruin-restored/|archive-date=1 March 2012}} The restoration has since peeled away to leave the black and white tribute to Robbo, as of September 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.ldngraffiti.co.uk/blog/banksyvsrobbo/timeline.html|title=Banksy vs Team Robbo – Timeline|date=12 July 2012|publisher=LDNGraffiti|access-date=27 December 2012}}

Robbo died on 31 July 2014, having never recovered from his original injury or regaining consciousness.

• Blek le Rat
• List of urban artists
• Street art
• Works by Banksy damaged or destroyed

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|King Robbo}}

• [http://www.teamrobbo.org/ Team Robbo official site]
• [http://twistedsifter.com/2012/01/banksy-vs-robbo-war-in-pictures/ Stages in the Camden feud with Banksy]

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Category:1969 births

Category:2014 deaths

Category:English graffiti artists

Category:Place of birth missing

Category:Pseudonymous artists