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Preview: “Banksy: The Unauthorized Retrospective” at Sotheby’s

Banksy began his career by taking up wall space without permission for his street art. But his work has become so financially successful that established art institutions, ironically enough, have scrambled to become part of the Banksy mythology regardless of the artist's consent. Following the recent, controversial "Stealing Banksy" show, where Banksy's street art pieces mysterious appeared in a gallery setting, carved from the walls on which they originally appeared, London auction house and gallery Sotheby's is slated to open "Banksy: The Unauthorized Retrospective" on June 11.

Banksy began his career by taking up wall space without permission for his street art. But his work has become so financially successful that established art institutions, ironically enough, have scrambled to become part of the Banksy mythology regardless of the artist’s consent. Following the recent, controversial “Stealing Banksy” show, where Banksy’s street art pieces mysterious appeared in a gallery setting, carved from the walls on which they originally appeared, London auction house and gallery Sotheby’s is slated to open “Banksy: The Unauthorized Retrospective” on June 11.

Curated by Banksy’s former associate Steve Lazarides of Lazarides Gallery and The Outsiders fame, the exhibition will feature some of Banksy’s most famous works from the past decade as well as never-before-seen pieces like “Banksus Militus Vandalus,” a taxidermy sculpture illegally installed in a natural history museum in 2004. With 70 total works culled from private collections, the retrospective is the largest showing of Banksy work to date.

The famously anonymous artist seems to have a love-hate relationship with being in the public eye. The hype surrounding his work has allowed him to garner attention for his political and social commentary. Yet as Lazarides speculated in an interview with the Associated Press, Banksy would hate this exhibition — but that’s part of the fun, he added. The gallerist, who sprayed Sotheby’s S|2 Gallery’s walls red with a fire extinguisher to make the stenciled pieces feel more at home, seems to relish the irony of exhibiting (and reselling) Banksy’s work without his permission. On view through July 25, the retrospective will give Banksy fans a chance to view these rare, much talked-about works in a strange collision of worlds — from the street to the high-end auction house.

Rex Features/AP Images

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Topics

banksy, Lazarides, Sotheby's, street art, Unauthorized Retrospective

Curiot, street art, surrealism

May 27, 2016

The word "mythological" is often used to describe the work of Mexican artist Curiot (real name Favio Martinez). Featured in Hi-Fructose Vol. 29, Curiot doesn't apply a specific myth to the images that he paints, strongly inspired by his Mexican heritage which he hopes to uphold in his art. "The mythological creatures represent the forces of nature, the energy that flows in the universe and their relationship with the world- I like to believe they come from the spirit realm," he told us.

Expressionistic Street Art by Borondo

Borondo, mural, street art

May 28, 2014

A far cry from the tight, linear style of graffiti, Borondo's murals utilize sweeping, expressive brushstrokes that demonstrate little restraint. The artist is unafraid of dripping paint, thickly slabbing earth tone hues on walls for his contemplative portraiture. Based in Spain, Borondo recently painted a string of murals in London. "Narcissus," put up on the edge of a canal, cleverly makes use of the wall's reflection in the water. Narcissus, after all, was the young man who couldn't get enough of his own image. "Cheese" (pictured above) offers a political commentary, whether one takes the shackles as a metaphor or a literal allusion to events in recent history. Photographer and filmmaker Fabiano Caputo followed Borondo's journey through the British capital and captured his murals in several time lapse videos in addition to the photos. Check them out after the jump.

Cyrcle’s New Mural, “Collapse Part 1,” at the Moderna Museet Malmö

artscape festival, cyrcle, moderna museet malmo, mural, street art

May 20, 2014

A blend of Greco-Roman iconography and modern-day graphic design, LA-based duo Cyrcle's latest work is a prime example of the ways images get recycled, re-contextualized and repeated in contemporary culture. Like the philosopher Guy Debord famously predicted in the 1960s, our experiences are mediated through images, and almost everything in mass culture has become an image of an image of an image. Not to get too far off track, Cyrcle's new mural in Malmö, Sweden plays with this notion of pastiche.

L7M’s Avian Street Art Goes Abstract

L7M, mural, street art

April 3, 2015

Hailing from the outskirts of Sao Paulo, Brazil, L7M began making art as a child. Spray paint, his preferred medium for street art, entered his life at the age of 13, and he quickly became proficient in it while also experimenting with china ink, latex, pastel, and acrylic. Currently, L7M spends his time traveling the world to paint murals that feature birds fractured into a flurry of colors and abstract shapes. Neon colors dominate his compositions, with varied styles of paint strokes that add depth to the abstract color fields. Recently, L7M traveled around Europe to put up new pieces. Take a look at his new street work as well as a few paintings from his studio below.

Preview: “Banksy: The Unauthorized Retrospective” at Sotheby’s

Curiot Paints a Mystical Future Realm in “Act 1: Warped Passage”

Expressionistic Street Art by Borondo

Cyrcle’s New Mural, “Collapse Part 1,” at the Moderna Museet Malmö

L7M’s Avian Street Art Goes Abstract

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