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Banksy (British, b. 1974-), ‘Girl with Balloon.’ Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers and Forum Auctions

Exhibit of 80+ Banksy artworks opens in Chicago

Banksy (British, b. 1974-), ‘Girl with Balloon.’ Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers and Forum Auctions
Banksy (British, b. 1974-), ‘Girl with Balloon.’ Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers and Forum Auctions

CHICAGO (AP) – An exhibit of more than 80 works by the graffiti artist known publicly only as Banksy is now on view in Chicago. The Art of Banksy, which opened August 21, will run through October 31 in a shuttered, 45,000-square-foot broadcast communications museum.

The pieces include canvasses, prints and sculptures and are from private collections.

Stencils by the street artist have appeared on the walls of buildings – even a British prison, bridges and streets across the globe. Some of his most recognizable stencils and murals include Flower Thrower, Rude Copper, Girl with Balloon and I Remember When All This Was Trees.

Earlier this year, a Banksy painting honoring health workers in the pandemic sold at auction for more than $23 million. Titled Game Changer, the work first appeared on a wall at Southampton General Hospital in southern England in May 2020.

The black-and-white picture depicts a young boy sitting on the floor playing with a nurse superhero toy, as Batman and Spiderman toy figures lie in a wastepaper basket next to him.

At the time it went up, the hospital said Banksy left a note for workers there saying: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.”

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