If my school had had a more liberal attitude to wall art, folks would be talking now about Banksy, Murtsy and a history of graffiti.
After all I was only following in a Classical tradition that dates back to the Romans and Pompeii.
For yesterday’s lewd diagrams to denote their red light district think today’s cock and balls.
Whether the graffiti great of the Classics world had the same celebrity though as Banksy has been lost to history.
An exhibition of yourself
But the shadowy scribbler’s notoriety is richly deserved and are celebrated at a special exhibition in Covent Garden, London.
The Art of Banksy is the world’s largest touring collection of Banksy artworks, boasting over 100 original works.
And it has already been shown in Melbourne, Tel Aviv, Auckland, Toronto, Miami, Gothenburg, Chicago, San Francisco and Sydney.
Whether they have the rat and briefcase piece he drew when I took la famiglia to New York for the first time I’ll have to go along to Covent Garden to discover.
The exhibition highlights works made for charities all over the world.
From the Bethlehem Arab Society for Rehabilitation to international activists Greenpeace.
Showing pieces from private collections, The Art of Banksy showcases his most iconic pieces.
Alongside rare works never seen by the public before.
American Graffiti
Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, lays claim to being the modern-day home of graffiti.
Although, as in most things, New York contests this and insists the City that Never Sleeps is an upgrade.
If you’re a city break fan and seek out the places where the ragged people go then you’ll always glory in graffiti.
Graffiti always explodes where repression reigns and the Berlin Wall was probably the most graffitied surface in history.
Czech this out
We saw it too elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe and particularly in Prague.
Where the John Lennon Wall came to represent the uprising against the Soviet invasion of the Czech capital in 1968.
Put the boot in
Of course these challenging times have inspired an outpouring of creativity to reflect our support for Ukraine.
And our revulsion at the invasion and our belief that the writing is on the wall for Putin.
So you have my permission to make your mark on history.
And maybe I’ll get my spray paint out and get my name out there.
It’s got a ring to it, doncha think for the next exhibition…
Banksy, Murtsy and a history of graffiti.
How to get there
The exhibition at 50 Earlham Street is on Thursday and Friday: 10.00 – 21.00, Saturday: 9.30 – 19.00, Sunday & Monday: 10.00 – 18.00.
And if you don’t know London, the nearest stations are Covent Garden (3 minute walk), Leicester Square (5 minute walk), Tottenham Court Road (8 minute walk) Holborn (8 minute walk) and Charing Cross (10 minute walk).
Tickets are priced from £14.50 and can be booked online at artofbanksy.co.uk or over the phone, on 08440 412001.
