Unauthorized Banksy Exhibition Opens in London After Lockdown

After multiple delays due to England's strict lockdown, the traveling exhibition 'The Art of Banksy' opened in London on May 20, 2021. The unauthorized show, not curated or authorized by Banksy, features over 70 works from private collections, including prints, sculptures, posters, silkscreens, and canvases, mostly created between 1997 and 2008. The exhibition previously toured Melbourne, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Tel Aviv, Auckland, Toronto, Miami, Gothenburg, and Sydney, attracting over 750,000 visitors. The London venue is a 1,000-square-meter basement in Seven Dials, Covent Garden, with black walls against original brick arches. Producer Michel Boersma calls Banksy 'an artist born of the people, for the people.' London organizer Sean Sweeney notes the show is the first to open in the city post-lockdown, contributing to cultural revival. Museums and exhibitions had reopened only on May 17 after nearly five months of closure.