Banksy's 100-Work Exhibition Opens at Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara

Palazzo dei Diamanti in Ferrara presents 'Un artista chiamato Banksy,' a major exhibition featuring over 100 works by the anonymous Bristol street artist. Curated by Stefano Antonelli, Gianluca Marziani, and Acoris Andipa, the show is produced by MetaMorfosi Associazione Culturale in collaboration with Ferrara Arte, drawing entirely from private collections. Banksy was informed via his office but is not involved in the organization. The exhibition examines Banksy's recurring themes—war and peace, social control, freedom, and contemporary paradoxes—through stencils, screen prints, sculptures, and early works. Highlights include 'Love Is In The Air (Flower Thrower)' (2003), 'Girl with Balloon' (voted Britain's favorite artwork in a 2017 Samsung poll), and 'Lab Rat' (2000), a spray paint and acrylic on plywood panel originally used at Glastonbury Festival, rediscovered in 2014 and authenticated by the artist. Also featured are pieces from Dismaland, such as 'Mickey Snake' depicting Mickey Mouse swallowed by a python. Between 2002 and 2009, Banksy published 46 printed editions via his London publishing house Pictures on Walls. Curators Antonelli and Marziani note that Banksy challenges concepts of uniqueness, originality, authorship, and truth in art, establishing a new status for non-commercial original works. The exhibition runs from May 30 to September 27, 2020, open daily 11:00–21:00.