When the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art opens in Los Angeles on September 22, its fifth-floor mural gallery will bring together an unlikely trio: Banksy, Diego Rivera and Judy Baca. The connecting idea is public space as a stage for narrative art.
The grouping is curatorial rather than collaborative. Rivera died in 1957, and the works shown are reproductions of his public murals, not originals. Baca is represented largely through an extensive video installation of her landmark The Great Wall of Los Angeles, drawn from an archive acquired by the museum. Senior curator Ryan Linkof has framed the gallery as an exploration of how artists use public space to tell politically charged stories, a context in which Banksy’s stencil-based work sits naturally alongside Rivera’s and Baca’s.
Public museums have rarely shown Banksy’s work. The main exceptions are Bristol Museum in 2009 and Cut & Run at GOMA in Glasgow in 2023, both organised by Banksy himself. The privately owned MOCO Museum in Amsterdam has hosted a permanent Banksy exhibition of certified studio works sourced from private collectors, drawing steady crowds since 2016.
But this permanent exhibition at Lucas Museum is next level. Commissioned by George Lucas, Banksy has recreated some of his best-known murals, including Girl with Balloon, Love is in the Air,No Ball Games, Crayon Foreclosure, and Go Flock Yourself – Paris version. The museum also has the maquette of the flag statue he unveiled in London this past May. According to a museum spokesperson, Banksy did not simply lend the work; “he worked with the museum on the installation himself”.
This is not an official Banksy exhibition, but it is very well executed and features a wealth of interesting pieces, including sketches and an impressive collection of Banksy’s early screenprints. Sections of the exhibition have been curated by Bristol street art legends John Nation, Tom “Inkie” Bingle, Felix Braun, Christofer Chalkley, and Kye Thomas of the DBZ Crew. Other co-curators are the author Richard Jones and street art scholar Ulrich Blanché of Heidelberg University.
From the official website of the exhibition:
“At Palazzo Fava from 27 March 2026, the exhibition Banksy Archive 01 – The School of Bristol 1983-2005 offers an in-depth reconstruction of the origins and development of Banksy’s imagery, placing it in the cultural and artistic context in which it was formed. Divided into thirty-two sections, the exhibition reconstructs and frames Banksy’s work within its specific generative context, highlighting the role of the so-called “Bristol School”: a group of artists and protagonists of the local scene – including Robert Del Naja, Tom “Inkie” Bingle, Felix “Flx” Braun, Kyron “Soker” Thomas and Nick Walker – who helped define the language and creative environment that gave rise to iconic works such as Balloon Girl and Flower Thrower.
The exhibition, curated by Stefano Antonelli and Gianluca Marziani, presents over three hundred works, original documents and archival materials. The sections are entrusted to artists and cultural figures who shared formative and project experiences with Banksy in Bristol in the 1990s.“
The artist – at the time in his 20s – was interviewed by Mr Wrench, a former BBC arts correspondent, in the summer of 2003 to mark the opening of Banksy’s Turf War show in east London. An edited version was aired that July on the BBC’s PM programme. However, not all of the material was used. Many years later, Mr Wrench was listening to The Banksy Story podcast, and this prompted him to recover the full interview on a minidisc in his house.
The never-heard-before interview includes Banksy’s thoughts on his own art, on Charles Saatchi and many other issues. You can listen to it here:
There is little doubt that the person interviewed by BBC Radio is the same guy with a Bristol accent who was interviewed on camera by ITV reporter Haig Gordon before the opening of Turf War in July 2003 in London:
ITV’s Haig Gordon interviewed Banksy at the Turf War exhibition, July 2003.
Banksy’s unaltered voice in the two interviews above is strikingly similar to the voice of the person presented as Banksy in another BBC interview three years earlier at the Severnshed exhibition in February 2000:
BBC Bristol interviewed Banksy at the Severnshed exhibition, February 2000.
This line of thought in the “Who is Banksy?” mystery is supported by some of the photographs in Steve Lazarides’ book Captured from 2019, especially one on page 154 depicting a Banksy consistent with the alleged Banksy in the resuscitated ITV interview. Whether this person is “one of the Banksys” or “the Banksy” will never be known. The puzzle is part of the overall artistic expression, in which we all play a role.
As Steve Lazarides put it in an interview for the French documentary Most wanted from 2019:
“You will never be able to know who Banksy is. At least 50 to 60% of my time was spent trying to keep him anonymous.”
“How?” asked the reporter.
“We did all sorts of things; we did fake news stories; we were way ahead of Donald Trump on the fake news. Part of it was putting out fake news stories; I put the website in my name; and lots of other things I’m not going to tell you.”
Team Banksy hinted that when the show opened, they would take it on tour if it “proved popular.” On 26 August, Pest Control Office confirmed that there would be a tour, and they are now soliciting suggestions for locations and venues. Hopefully, this will bring an end to all the touring exhibitions with fakes and reproductions.
The Scottish newspaper The Herald was first to publish the story:
Banksy unveils Glasgow show spanning 25 years of iconic works
‘CUT & RUN’, which has been officially authorised by Banksy, will reveal for the first time the stencils used to create many of the artist’s most iconic works. Spanning from 1988 to the present day, Banksy calls the exhibition, which includes authentic artefacts, ephemera and the artist’s actual toilet, ‘25 years card labour’.
“I’ve kept these stencils hidden away for years, mindful they could be used as evidence in a charge of criminal damage. But that moment seems to have passed, so now I’m exhibiting them in a gallery as works of art. I’m not sure which is the greater crime”, the artist told The Herald.
The new exhibition is being staged at the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Glasgow city centre, the main gallery of contemporary art in Scotland’s largest city. Opening this Sunday, it will run for three months and open all night at weekends. The Herald understands that if the exhibition proves popular, the show may then tour.
Banksy has launched a new exclusive website for the exhibition, where one can book tickets: https://cutandrun.co.uk.
Among the stencils: some of his best studio artwork
The main exhibition hall has an exquisite display of some of Banksy’s most iconic stencils, as well as some unique ‘indoor’ artwork. Although the main exhibition hall does not allow photography, the exhibition features, among others, the following studio pieces:
From top to bottom: Rodney King – canvas, 2011. The Simpsons – canvas, 2010. The Venice Biennale – Multiple canvases, 2017. The Stormzy stab-proof vest, 2019. David engulfed in a cloud of teargas, 2017 (sourced from Walled Off Hotel)
Banksy’s boy-room
Photos are only permitted in a space after the gift shop, in what is presented as young Banksy’s boy-room:
Banksy’s interest in helicopters started earlyEarly drawing, signed A.M.W…Spitfire, signed A.M.WLord of the Rings poster by Jimmy CautyMagritte posterThere are lots of Christian references in Banksy’s imagery. Maybe it started with young Banksy attending Bible-school on Sundays?
The pop-up show opened on 1 October on Church Street in Croydon, just a few miles south of London. If Dismaland was Banksy’s caricature of an amusement park, Gross Domestic Product is Banksy’s caricature of consumer society and shopping hysteria.
The reason for opening the store is not only artistic: There is a trademark dispute between Banksy and a greeting card company that uses the Banksy brand while selling products featuring Banksy motifs. According to DACS (the not-for-profit visual artists’ rights management organisation in the UK) chairman and media lawyer Mark Stephens: “the law clearly states that if the trademark holder is not using the mark, then it should be handed to someone who will.” The apparent solution: create a merchandise range and open a shop.
In Banksy’s own words:
“Everything in the store “has been created specifically to fulfill a particular trademark category under EU law”, Banksy says. “I had the legal sheet pinned up in the studio like a muse.” He adds: “John Lennon said: ‘I’m an artist, give me a tuba and I’ll get something out of it.’ I feel the same way about a trademark dispute.”
The items on display are on sale on the website www.grossdomesticproduct.com. A lottery system will likely be implemented for allocation purposes.
Photos: R.A.
The official GDP – trailer:
Art appreciation in the Cronx / Banksyfilm
ITV News did a feature on the GDP exhibition in Croydon:
Banksy’s take on Brexit is well known, as seen in three pieces over the last two years. The first was the big mural in Dover, unveiled on 7 May 2017. The second piece contributed to last year’s summer exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, titled Vote to Love. And this year, Banksy is back at the RAA summer exhibition with an Archway salvaged from Heathrow Airport.
Banksy’s former agent Steve Lazarides opened an interesting exhibition at his Mayfair gallery of some of Banksy’s most coveted oil paintings, labelled Greatest Hits 2002 – 2008. At the centre of the show are seven unique pieces from the 2005 Crude Oil exhibition. One can also find the original paintings of some of the most iconic prints, such as Christ with shopping bags, Barcode Leopard, and Trolleys. The exhibition runs until 25 August.
Banksy made it into the Royal Academy of Arts with a piece on the Brexit referendum. The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) celebrates its 250th anniversary with an extended summer exhibition. In his own words:
“I entered an early version of this into the RA summer exhibition under the pseudonym Bryan S Gaakman – an anagram of ‘banksy anagram’. It was refused. Then a month later I got a mail from the co-ordinator Grayson Perry asking me to submit something so I sent it again. It’s now hanging in gallery 3.”
The Walled Off Hotel is the latest big exhibition by Banksy. The unique boutique hotel is a piece of art in itself and effectively mixes art, politics, and tourism. On the ground floor are approximately 15 new Banksy studio pieces and a museum commemorating “a hundred years since the British took control of Palestine and helped kick start a Century of confusion and conflict”.
The hotel is located just a few meters from the Israeli West Bank Barrier, the controversial segregation wall that divides Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Downtown Jerusalem is only 7 km away.
The hotel has ten rooms, including a presidential suite with a bullet-riddled water tank feeding a hot tub, budget bunk-bed rooms sourced from old military barracks, and custom-designed spaces by Banksy and other artists like Sami Musa and Dominique Petrin. The decorative style is colonial, nodding to Britain’s historical role in the region, particularly the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which marked the beginning of British control over Palestine. Everywhere in the hotel, you will find Banksy’s provocative artwork—such as an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian protester engaged in a pillow fight, cherubs wearing gas masks or Jesus Christ being bombed by drones. .
Initially intended as a temporary project to mark the centenary of British involvement in Palestine, the hotel has since become a lasting fixture, attracting nearly 140,000 visitors by 2020. The hotel welcomes visitors from all sides, including Israelis.
It’s easy to get to the hotel. If you arrive at the Tel Aviv airport, take the fast train that goes directly to the new Jerusalem Central Station. From there you can take a bus down Hebron Road to Checkpoint 300. The hotel is only 600 metres from the checkpoint. The exact address is 182 Caritas Street, Bethlehem, Palestine.
Some photos from the ground floor area at Walled Off Hotel:
Photos: R.A.
Some photos from the upper floor area:
Some artworks from different rooms on the upper floor:
Some photos from the museum of the wall on the ground floor:
The museum on the ground floor is dedicated to the history of the segregation wall. Dr Gavin Grindon from Essex University collaborated in its design. It gives you a very clear picture of what has happened since the occupation started.
The official video clip from the opening of Walled Off Hotel:
Channel 4 did a lengthy feature on the opening of the hotel:
As reported by The Guardian on 3 March 2017:
‘Worst view in the world’: Banksy opens hotel overlooking Bethlehem wall
By Emma Graham Harrison
Exclusive: British artist launches Walled Off hotel in hope of bringing Israeli tourists – and dialogue – to West Bank city
The Walled Off hotel may sound utilitarian, even bleak. Its owner says it has “the worst view of any hotel in the world”, while its 10 rooms get just 25 minutes of direct sunlight a day. But, nestled against the controversial barrier wall separating Israel from the Palestinian territories, the West Bank’s answer to the Waldorf offers travellers something more elusive than any luxury destination.
The lodging in Bethlehem is a hotel, museum, protest and gallery all in one, packed with the artworks and angry brilliance of its owner, British street artist Banksy. From the disconcertingly lavish presidential suite where water splashes from a bullet-strafed watertank into the hot tub, to the bunk-beds in the budget room scavenged from an abandoned army barracks, the hotel is playful and strongly political.
All the rooms look out on to the concrete slabs of the wall and some have views over it to pill boxes and an Israeli settlement – illegal under international law – on the hillside beyond.
“Walls are hot right now, but I was into them long before [Donald] Trump made it cool,” said Banksy in a statement. The artist, who fiercely guards his anonymity, first came to Bethlehem more than a decade ago, leaving a series of paintings on the barrier that have become a tourist destination in their own right. Since then, the town’s pilgrim and sightseeing-based economy has been ravaged by ever-tighter Israeli controls on travel between Israel and the Palestinian territories, so the new hotel is expected to provide a welcome boost in jobs and visitor numbers.
Banksy’s reputation is likely to keep all rooms fully booked, but he wants guests to leave with more than just a selfie. “(It’s) a three-storey cure for fanaticism, with limited car parking,” he added in the statement. The hotel opens to guests on 20 March, with bookings via the website. The team hope Israelis, who rarely see the barrier wall up close or visit Palestinian towns, will be among the guests, even though visiting means breaking the law.
“I would like to invite everyone to come here, invite Israeli civilians to come visit us here,” said manager Wisam Salsaa. “We want them to learn more about us, because when they know us it will break down the stereotypes and things will change.”
Israelis are banned from visiting Bethlehem and its famous sites. And although Banksy has chosen a site officially under Israeli military control – meaning it is legal for Israelis to stay there – all the roads to reach it involve an illegal journey through Palestinian-controlled territory.
The hotel, a former pottery workshop, has a dystopian colonial theme, a nod to Britain’s role in the region’s history, the reception and tea-room a disconcerting take on a gentlemen’s club where a self-playing piano provides an eerie soundtrack. The fire flickering in the grate glows under a pile of concrete rubble, like a blaze at a bomb site, a classical bust in a niche is wreathed in clouds of gas snaking out of a tear gas canister and, in traditional seascapes, the beaches are littered with life-jackets discarded by refugees.
“It’s exactly 100 years since Britain took control of Palestine and started rearranging the furniture – with chaotic results,” Banksy said. “I don’t know why, but it felt like a good time to reflect on what happens when the United Kingdom makes a huge political decision without fully comprehending the consequences.”
Upstairs, original Banksy artworks decorate several of the rooms. In one, an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian protester thump each other with pillows, the feathers fluttering down towards the real pillows of the bed below. In another, a pack of cheetahs crouch over a zebra-print sofa, where padded entrails snake out of a cushion. The bookshelves are packed with carefully chosen titles – A Room With a View at the end of one, Cage Me a Peacock on another stack. The elevator is walled off, too, the doors jammed half open to show concrete breeze blocks, hung with an “out of service” sign.
A small museum explains the wall, the controls on movement and the troubled history of the region, curated together with Essex University professor Gavin Grindon. “If you are not completely baffled, then you don’t understand,” the presenter of a video history signs off.
Also in the building, part of a plan to promote dialogue, is a gallery showing the work of Palestinian artists. It is the first in Bethlehem, says curator Housni Alkateeb Shehada, and a way for artists, who often find it hard to travel, to reach a wider audience.
He wanted to project art on to the barrier wall which lies just five meters away, but decided in the end that it would be too risky, a reminder of the conflict and restrictions that looms over all the people living in Bethlehem. “We are very afraid,” said Shehada. “We don’t know what is going on there with the soldiers and it is forbidden.”
Banksy dismissed worries that security concerns would keep people away, pointing out that he had packed out a “bemusement park” in an unglamorous English seaside town for weeks.
“My accountant was worried some people will be too scared to travel to the West Bank, but then I remind him – for my last show they spent a whole day in Weston-super-Mare.”
Banksy unofficial 