This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

New Banksy Murals In London Explained On Instagram

New Banksy Murals In London Explained On Instagram
One of two new murals painted by the artist Banksy near the Barbican Centre in London. The works mark the opening of an exhibition by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat at the arts venue.
PA Wire/PA Images
One of two new murals painted by the artist Banksy near the Barbican Centre in London. The works mark the opening of an exhibition by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat at the arts venue.

The meaning of Bansky’s latest set of murals has been explained by the mysterious street artist on Instagram.

The works, marking the opening of an exhibition by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, appeared in a tunnel close to the Barbican Centre in central London.

Banksy described the murals as an “(unofficial) collaboration” in a series of Instagram posts.

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on

Basquiat first rose to fame as a New York City graffiti artist before turning his hand to painting. He died in 1988, aged just 27, from a suspected drug overdose, PA reported.

Alongside an image on Instagram of the first work – a Ferris wheel – Banksy wrote: “Major new Basquiat show opens at the Barbican – a place that is normally very keen to clean any graffiti from its walls.”

A post shared by Banksy (@banksy) on

The second mural, which bears a likeness to Basquiat’s 1982 work Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump, is captioned: “Portrait of Basquiat being welcomed by the Metropolitan Police – an (unofficial) collaboration with the new Basquiat show.”

Basquiat: Boom for Real opens at the Barbican Centre on Wednesday.

It has been described by the arts venue as the “first large-scale exhibition in the UK of the work of [the] American artist”.

Banksy is thought have been born in Bristol, just 20 miles north west of Weston-super-Mare - where he based a 2015 attraction - in the early 1970s.

The artist may have run with one of the city’s prolific graffiti gangs, but Banksy’s own work grew to prominence in the 1990s.

[NOW READ: What we know about Banksy - the mysterious street artist]

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.