BANKSY VS. BRISTOL MUSEUM, BRISTOL, 2009

First Banksy’s Museum Exhibit in his home-town of Bristol

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery is proud to present a unique collaboration between the city’s foremost cultural institution and one of the regions most overrated artists. Banksy has gained notoriety in recent years by using stencils to paint images on a diverse array of outdoor locations. This is his first exhibition in a three story Edwardian museum”.

In the summer of 2009, Bristol Museum & Art Gallery was taken over by an extraordinary exhibition of works by the infamous local artist, Banksy. Overnight, the museum was transformed into a menagerie of Unnatural History – fishfingers swimming in a gold-fish bowl, hot-dogs and chicken nuggets. Paintings from Banksy were placed in amongst the historic collections of Old Masters, sculptures and other pieces dotted around throughout the museum displays.

Banksy vs. Bristol Museum – Official Trailer

The main entrance was transformed into a sculpture hall, accompanied by a burnt-out ice-cream van that pumped out an eerie sound-track of warped tunes, whilst a giant ice-cream cone melted on its roof.

Before long, people queued around the block to get into the exhibition, some even waited as long as seven hours just to experience this unique phenomenon. Over 100 works by the artist – most of which had never been previously shown – were on full display for the public. Banksy left one sculpture behind, the Angel Bust, or the paint-pot angel which remains on display at the museum to this day.

The exhibit was on display for several weeks in the summer of 2009. As Banksy put is himself,

This is the first show I’ve ever done where taxpayers’ money is being used to hang my pictures up rather than scrape them off.

Exhibit Views

EXHIBIT FLYERS & POSTERS

Banksy Studio

An artist’s studio is always a hidden treasure and a great way to gain a better understanding of the artist, how they think, as well as how they work. Art history is filled with pictures of the studios of many great artists.

For the first time, Banksy gave the public an idea of what the inside of his studio looks and feels like through a very detailed and impressive installation. Considering how guarded Banksy’s identity is, it really was a special treat to see the source of inspiration, and even some of the stencils used to create some of street art’s most iconic pieces. From Queen Vic to Girl with Balloon, Kissing Coppers, Barcode – it was quite a sight to behold. These simple, yet timeless stencils are the bedrock tools that have allowed Banksy to climb in and out of public wall spaces with stealth and quickness, while still leaving a lasting impression that the world is still talking about all these years later.

Originals Exhibited

Sculptures and Installations

Paint Pot Angel