Is this a Banksy prank? No, the street artist is featured in a big show coming to Minneapolis

The unauthorized exhibit, opening May 12, was culled from private collections.

March 9, 2022 at 8:43PM
“Flower Thrower,” shown as part of “The Art of Banksy” in Chicago. The exhibit comes to Minneapolis in May. (Kyle Flubacker/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Works by Banksy, that notorious art-world prankster, will pop up in Minneapolis in May.

An unauthorized show, "The Art of Banksy," will feature more than 100 of the famously anonymous artist's canvasses, screen prints, sculptures and one-offs, culled from private collections.

Included are some of Banksy's most famous images, including "Flower Thrower" and the "Girl With Balloon," an image that made headlines when it was shredded at auction in 2018. (Last year, the shredded version sold for $25.4 million.) Most date between 1997 and 2008.

Opening May 12, the touring show is produced by Starvox Exhibits, which is also behind the popular-but-panned "Immersive Van Gogh" exhibit, and will be staged locally in the same space — Lighthouse Minneapolis, at 1515 Central Av. NE. in Minneapolis. Tickets cost $40 to $70.

"This is a one-of-a-kind exhibition," said Starvox president Corey Ross in a press release. "Following successful runs in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston and Denver, we can't wait to give Minneapolis a chance to see 'The Art of Banksy' up close."

In August, a Chicago Tribune critic called the show "a genuine homage to an artist who surely wouldn't want anything to do with this."

Banksy's website features a statement, under the label "Product Recall," on the "spate of Banksy exhibitions." These shows have been "organized entirely without the artist's knowledge or involvement. Please treat them accordingly."

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Jenna Ross

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Jenna Ross is an arts and culture reporter.

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