The Banksy Museum in New York
Source: MuseumBanksy.com
Banksy is without a doubt the most famous, most mysterious, and most anonymous street artist of all time. He hails out of England, but has “dropped” his art on walls, streets, and bridges all over the world since the 1990’s, with many of them throughout the streets of New York, particularly in the downtown neighborhoods.
While he doesn’t sell his artwork, once placed the works are often picked up and resold, often at quite hefty prices. The mystery comes from the fact that when you see a Banksy you never really know if it is in fact a Banksy, how it got placed, and if it really was Banksy who placed it.
Flash forward to 2024, and the opening of The Banksy Museum on Canal Street in lower Manhattan New York City, after having been a traveling exhibit through major cities around the world. The museum features well over a hundred pieces of Banksy's works (many of them large murals) but they are all unauthorized and unaffiliated by the artist.
Hmmm. I’m not sure I really get it, TTYTT.
So how do we know they are his works? Or is that the point? And isn’t having them in a museum counter to Banksy’s “Brand?” Or is that also the twist here? Unauthorized, well that’s consistent I suppose then how did they get there? Well that’s mysterious too!
Did he even get a say? How does that work when it’s your work? Or copies of your work?
Curating them into a “designed” space doesn’t seem like the Banksy way either. Sure, the museum talks about how they have street artists who have created the experience for visitors to the museum, but those street artists aren’t THE artist in this case. Or is this a way to open it up to younger artists? And if it’s unauthorized, he didn’t really have a say. Or did he?!?
I don’t know … it doesn’t all add up to me. Is it suppose to?!? The Banksy Brand is in the art and the “drop,” but not here … at least not when it’s sitting in a curated museum.
Source: MuseumBanksy.com
And … there’s even a YouTube channel … now that’s also way too too for Banksy, or so it would seem to me! Yes, or no? Maybe he’s just playing with us here?!?
Hey, it’s still on my list to go this summer! Banksy is an anomaly in all regards and maybe that’s the entire point here.
Either way, I’m a big fan of the Brand! And either way this is opening up his work to a larger audience, which is a good thing. School groups!
What’s your experience? JIM