If you were to play a word association game and said ‘graffiti’, chances are most people would chime back with the word ‘Banksy’. So ingrained is the Bristolian street artist in our brains due to the anarchic joy he’s brought to many over the years.
The elusive artist has managed to remain anonymous since his inception into the art world in the 90s, only furthering his mystique, as murals (usually politically charged) have popped up all over the globe, most recently in Paris, where his works took dead aim at the French government’s hard line taken on migrants.
In the first UK exhibition that allows visitors to look at Banksy’s work all in one place, Lazinc gallery in Mayfair is currently putting on the show, Banksy Greatest Hits: 2002-2008, his most beloved period, which will feature some of the artist’s most iconic images such as Girl and Baloon, a black-and-white image of a little girl letting go of a red heart-shaped balloon and his Kissing Coppers.
Steve Lazarides, co-founder of Lazinc, met Banksy in 1997 when taking his portrait for Sleazenation magazine. He became his official photographer and gallerist, curating many of his most prolific shows from his ‘golden period’, such as Crude Oil, Barely Legal and Turf War. The pair worked together till 2008.
The work on display ranges from stenciled canvases to unique paintings, sculptures to limited-edition prints, a number of which haven’t been publicly exhibited before.
It’s a chance to look close up at his bold images that helped this man from Bristol who shunned the spotlight, become one of the most popular contemporary artists, whose social and political comments are never more relevant than in today’s world.
But if you’re planning on buying anything you’ll need to bring a hefty chequebook with you, Steve Lazarides has stated that there isn’t much on offer for under a cool half a million quid.
Banksy Greatest Hits: 2002-2008 runs until August 25th 2018 at Lazinc in Mayfair
Click the banner to share on Facebook