The Art of Bansky – An Unauthorised Collection Too Tempting To Miss
Banksy appears to have been busy on a ‘spray cation’ this summer in East Anglia with eight new art works to entrance, irritate, arouse and amuse.
Britain’s best known Marmite modern street artist _ secretive, satirical, ironic and anarchic in equal measure _ is credited with bus stop graffiti that’s just appeared in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
A pair of dancers accompanied by an accordion player are featured on a brick wall above a bus shelter and, although not yet claimed by Banksy, this latest sighting bears all the hallmarks of an artist whose work can command over £16m.
If East Anglia isn’t on your staycation agenda you can grab a chance to see more Banksy treasures in London’s Covent Garden at an exhibition I suspect he’d hate as, unlike his freebie shows and public art, he has not authorised it. And tickets don’t come cheap at up to just shy of £50.
Claimed to be world’s largest touring exhibition of 90 Banksy artworks it features the familiar Flower Thrower, HMV Dog , Girl and Balloon. and Rude Copper plus gems in private collections rarely seen by the general public.
They vie for space with screen prints, canvasses, sculptures and limited editions in a cavernous 12,000 square foot space (so plenty of room for social distancing).
The tour has already attracted more than 750,000 visitors from Tel Aviv to Toronto, Melbourne to Miami all keen to see at close quarters the output of an artist who has spent three decades anonymously tagging the streets of the world, forging banknotes and adding little extras to everything from motorway signs to a coffin.
Even in middle age he’s lost nothing of his edgy vigour. He’s still a man – are we even sure of that? – on a mission to shock, to prick pride and consciences, to expose big business and warmongers. All of us are in his cross hairs, even if we’re just buying a souvenir as we exit through the ubiquitous gift shop.
His words are as punchy as his artwork. A shopping bag bears the legend ‘We can’t do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime we should all go shopping to console ourselves.’
While Chris Ford, Curator of Art of Banksy, claims: ‘There is no reason why there shouldn’t be a Banksy hanging in every single major contemporary art museum in the world’ the artist might disagree.
- Book online at artofbanksy.co.uk or call 08440 412001. The exhibition is in London until 21 November 2021 at 50 Earlham St, WC2H 9LJ and open every day. Tickets from £16.50, with general admission £21.5.0 – £24.50, to a VIP package including fast track, lanyard, audio guide and tote bag with merchandise for £49.50.
Oh how Banksy would scoff.
