Private collectors display their Banksy art in Rome

Rome  –  Mysterious British street artist known as Banksy has stenciled on surfaces from London to Gaza, but now collection of his work will be displayed in a museum in Rome.

Banksy’s identity had never been revealed, but his subversive murals, sculptures and ironic epigrams had become highly sought after in the establishment world he satirizes.

He has had nothing to do with “War, Capitalism and Liberty’’, the new show of about 150 works, which organisers were at pains to point out had all been lent by private collectors and not ripped off the street.

Co-curator, Acoris Andipa said all the pieces, including images of a protester poised to throw a bunch of flowers and two children holding a heart-shaped balloon as they stood on a pile of guns.
This had been bought on the various occasions when the artist had put his work on sale around the world.

According to Andipa, the art works here are not street art.

“People are now beginning to learn through the public sales that he is not just a street artist, he puts food on his plate so to speak by way of commercial output.’’

Banksy, believed to had been born in Bristol, England in the 1970s, had arranged his own exhibitions in the past, communicating through written statements.

In 2015, he opened the “Dismaland” theme park at the English seaside, where staff carried balloons proclaiming “I’ m an imbecile’’ and model boats full of refugees floated in a pond.

A 2009 show in Bristol brought more than 300,000 fans from around the world.

Entry to Dismaland cost a modest three pounds, (4.35 dollars) but the sale of a painting Banksy left on the door of a cash-strapped British youth club in 2014 then, told the club it could keep reportedly raised more than 400,000 pounds.

“War, Capitalism & Liberty’’, organised by non-profit group Fondazione Terzo Pilastro, runs from May 24 to September 4. Tickets cost 12.00 Euros. (Reuters/NAN)