Metro Weekly

Editor’s Pick: The Art of Banksy Touring Exhibition

The mysterious British street artist Banksy gets a museum-like retrospective with the display of over 100 artworks in D.C.'s Gallery Place.

The Art of Banksy — Photo: Kyle Flubacker

The mysterious British street artist and art world prankster known as the pseudonymous Banksy gets a museum-like retrospective with the display of over 100 artworks currently set up in the massive former Bed, Bath & Beyond space in Gallery Place.

Curated by GTP Exhibitions and presented by the Canadian production company Starvox, The Art of Banksy is billed as “the world’s largest touring exhibition of authenticated art by the renowned street artist.”

The certification and authentication came from Pest Control, the agency created by Banksy to handle his artwork sales. The show itself, however, is denoted as “unauthorized” by the artist, assembled instead through the cooperation of a group of private collectors who consented to this rare public display of the works in their possession.

Many of the artist’s most recognizable images, including “Flower Thrower,” “Rude Copper,” and original variations of “Girl with Balloon,” are arranged in a winding maze covering 20,000 square feet of exhibition space. A mix of unique works and limited-edition pieces created mainly between 1997 and 2008, the display includes prints, canvases, screenprints, and sculptures.

The Art of Banksy -- Photo: Kyle Flubacker
The Art of Banksy — Photo: Kyle Flubacker
The Art of Banksy: Pulp Fiction -- Photo: Kyle Flubacker
The Art of Banksy: Pulp Fiction — Photo: Kyle Flubacker
The Art of Banksy — Photo: Kyle Flubacker

On display through Aug. 21 at 709 7th St. NW. Timed tickets are $34.99 during off-peak hours (daytime on weekdays) and $44.99 evenings and weekends, or $49.99/$59.99 for Premium, including a limited-edition poster, and $74.99/$99.99 for VIP offering perks of VIP Lounge access, priority access and admission, souvenir laminate and poster.

Visit www.banksyexhibit.com/washington.

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