The famous street artist has been charged over “unauthorised artworks” created in Brisbane.

World-renowned street and installation artist Anthony Lister has been found guilty of wilful damage by graffiti after creating a series of unauthorised artworks around Brisbane city. Known as “Brisbane’s Banksy”, his work has sold for tens of thousands of dollars and appears in the 2013 list of Complex Art and Design’s 50 most influential street artists of all time. International stars including Hugh Jackman and Pharrell Williams have purchased Lister’s work for their private collections.

However, Brisbane’s city council doesn’t value the art to the degree that Jackman does, having taken Lister to court on charges of wilful damage at sites including two Fortitude Valley walls and a skate board park wall in Paddington. Lister argued that he didn’t intend to cause damage, and rather meant his pieces as a form of blessing. “It wasn’t in any sort of condition to concern me that my gift wouldn’t be well received,” he said to the Guardian, regarding his painting of a fire hose box. “That’s enough grounds for me as an educated visual artist with a passion for cultural progression to...