Banksy in Rome
“War, Capitalism & Liberty” at the Palazzo Cipolla
Banksy, of course, is not his real name, but the artist believed to have been born in Bristol, England, in 1974, wishes to remain anonymous and thus free to subvert the system of art ownership and collecting and appreciation that is predominant today. He had nothing to do with “War, Capitalism & Liberty,” an exhibit of his work at the Palazzo Cipolla in Rome, Italy, that was open to the public during the summer. It was curated, instead, by the nonprofit Fondazione Terzo Pilastro, and was been drawn completely from works by Banksy in private collections, a fact that the Fondazione promotes like a guarantee—as if to reassure us that the art Banksy created on the street will remain forever in situ.
“This is the first time works by the artist known as Banksy—now considered the world’s best street artist—have been exhibited in a museum,” said Professor Emmanuele Francesco Maria Emanuele, chairman of the Fondazione. “It is a corpus of about 150 works, including sculptures, stencils and other artistic expressions, all strictly from private collectors, and therefore not removed from the street.” Like Banksy himself, the exhibit was striking, in-your-face, satirical and mysterious. In other words, by PROVOKR standards, a total win-win, and so we present a few highlights for you to enjoy.
