The Art of Banksy, a major touring exhibition which showcases over 110 pieces of Banksy’s work, is coming to London this September.
The show, which opens on September 13 in a huge 2,000 sqm space on Regent Street, is expressly unauthorised and is not curated by the artist, but has nonetheless been a huge global hit.
Over 1.5 million visitors from around the world have seen the exhibition at its previous stops in Bangkok, Seoul, Riyadh, Budapest, Cluj, Bucharest, Warsaw, Mexico City, Santiago, São Paulo, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle and Charlotte, North Carolina.
The exhibition boasts hand drawn sketches and “personal artworks which Banksy created for friends, colleagues and lovers” as well as prints of some of Banksy’s most famous pieces such as Girl With Balloon, Flower Thrower and Rude Copper.
There is also a section of the show dedicated to Banksy’s The Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem, his Somerset “bemusement park” Dismaland, and his recent work that has commented on Russia’s war with Ukraine.
According to the exhibition, “close associates” of the artist will also share previously unknown stories behind some of the artworks in the collection.
However Banksy’s team previously shared its thoughts about unauthorised exhibitions such as The Art of Banksy via Pet Control, which describes itself as “the office that handles the paperwork for the graffiti artist Banksy”.
“Banksy has NOTHING to do with any of the current or recent exhibitions and they are nothing like a genuine Banksy show,” said a statement on Pest Control last year. “They might be crap so please don’t come to us for a refund.”
The Art of Banksy brought in mixed reviews when it toured the States last year. The Boston Globe described the exhibition as “a rare treat”, saying, “Even if the works aren’t mural-sized, seeing notable pieces up close like Girl With Balloon and Flower Thrower (presented in an elegantly framed triptych) is a rare experience.”
However, Time Out said that the show seemed to be at odds with everything the anti-capitalist, anti-establishment artist is about: “The Art of Banksy is an exhibit that contradicts its subject,” it said, pointing to the non-ironic gift shop at the end of the exhibition (Banksy released his documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop in 2010).
“Banksy’s career has been centered around creating art that is public and accessible to anyone... The entire exhibit is little more than an exercise in the sort of opportunistic capitalism and vapid culture that Banksy’s graffiti might lampoon.”
