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Son of Man by the artist Levi C. The piece will be among those exhibited at The Library bar |
ARTIST BANKSY SET TO REVEAL SELF-PORTRAIT
‘£250,000’ piece by cult graffiti painter on show at bar exhibition
CLUES to the identity of elusive guerilla graffiti artist Banksy are set to be revealed when a never-before-seen self-portrait of the artist goes on show in an Upper Street bar.
The exclusive Banksy original – worth £250,000 – and entitled A Portrait of An Artist, has until now been hanging in a private home in Bristol.
But next weekend (October 24 and 25), The Library bar will celebrate a major coup with a pop-up exhibition featuring Banksy originals, along with work by musician 3D, founder of the band Massive Attack, Secret Wars urban artist Inkie and a selection of Bristol’s finest.
A security guard will protect the Banksy pieces, which will be displayed in a private room above The Library’s bar. Alarms and cameras will also keep a watchful eye over them.
The show will feature original Banksy sculpture Watchtower and painting Heavy Weaponry, a collection of signed and unsigned prints, and a mystery installation.
The work, which is all for sale, with the exception of the self-portrait and the installation, will range from £100 to £25,000.
The show, featuring exhibits from 3Dom, Blu Bradley, DNT, Filthy Luker, FLX, Ghost Boy, Levi C, Lucy McLaughlin, Mick Hockney and Paul Insect, is to celebrate the launch of Bristol’s Crazy Fools online gallery.
Leon Thompson, of Crazy Fools, said: “It’s nice to do it in The Library because it’s not your normal four white walls space.
“We’ve got some really good urban art as well as some non-urban art including digital prints from Sarah Warren and really striking work from Anton of Shepherds Bush. We’ve got furniture, statues, and a giant glass moth table which I think we’re going to hang up.”
Mr Thompson said that the Banksy installation is a “really vibrant street Banksy”.
But all he could reveal about the self-portrait was: “The whole thing is quite secretive. It’s called a Portrait of an Artist. It’s him drawing himself.”
Crazy Fools’ Paul Villalba said: “We’ve never done anything on this scale before. We’re completely taking over The Library, with art happening everywhere possible.
“There’s going to be stuff bursting out of the windows, performance artists outside, live installations, exclusive works.”
MP Emily Thornberry, whose office is a short distance around the corner from The Library, said: “The most important thing is it’s the sort of art that young people are interested in. It’s fantastic news.”
The pop-up show runs from October 24 to 25, at The Library, 235 Upper Street. Children admitted from 2pm to 5pm. Exhibitors include 3Dom, Blu Bradley, DNT, Filthy Luker, FLX, Ghost Boy, Levi C, Lucy McLaughlin, Mick Hockney and Paul Insect. The gallery is open 2pm-10pm, free entry. www.crazyfools.net.
The newly revealed Banksy cash machine piece at the junction of Rosebery Avenue and Farringdon Road |
Renewed interest in Banksy as cashpoint stencil is withdrawn
Café boss is given permission to uncover one of graffiti star’s most-loved pieces of street art
A RARE work by guerrilla street artist Banksy has been uncovered in Farringdon.
The stencil, one of the few Banksy is known to return and add to, was uncovered at the junction of Rosebery Avenue and Farringdon Road last week (Monday) after being concealed for more than a year.
Banksy fans will be familiar with his depiction of a cash machine dishing out notes featuring Princess Diana’s face in Rosebery Avenue but will know it’s been covered up by a metal grille for some time.
The piece is believed to be particularly important to the elusive artist as he has transformed it three times. Originally, it was a simple rat. Then it became a cash machine and finally he added a mechanical arm which reaches out to attack a girl. It was uncovered by staff from next door café Banksy Bagel Bar – a homage to all things Banksy.
Café owner Mark Ellis asked the landlord’s permission to uncover the work and promised to protect it with Perspex.
He said: “I’ve known it’s been there for quite some time. It’s an important piece because there are not many Banksys left around this area.”
Mr Ellis, who used to be a graffiti artist himself, said he opened the café because sandwich shops in the area were too expensive.
He said: “I get my bagels from Brick Lane. So I decided to do something the people in the area can afford. My teas are 60p and bagels are a couple of quid.”
Mr Ellis said he chose the Banksy theme because he’s always been a fan.
“I used to spray-paint when I was a kid but Banksy’s the man,” he added. “I’ve protected it with perspex and nobody can touch it. It looks pukka. I’ve made it a nice local history point.”
Passers-by have welcomed the revival.
One said “the more Banksy, the better”, while another, Roland Mayer, said: “It’s brilliant that it’s back, I was sorry when it was covered up.” |
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