- Murals appeared in tunnel near exhibition of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s iconic work
- One is a ferris wheel, other is tribute to Basquiat’s Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump
- Basquiat rose to fame as a New York City graffiti artist, but died, aged 27, in 1988
Two new Banksy murals have appeared in a tribute to Jean-Michel Basquiat as one of the largest British exhibitions of his work opens.
The pieces were created in a tunnel near the Barbican Centre in central London, and were described as an ‘(unofficial) collaboration’ in Instagram posts by the artist.
Basquiat first rose to fame as a New York City graffiti artist, before turning his hand to painting. He died in 1988, aged just 27, from a suspected drug overdose.
This is one of two Banksy murals found near the Barbican prior to the opening of a Jean Michel Basquiat exhibition
Alongside an image on Instagram of this work, Banksy wrote: ‘Major new Basquiat show opens at the Barbican – a place that is normally very keen to clean any graffiti from its walls.’
Alongside an image on Instagram of the first work – a Ferris wheel – Banksy wrote: ‘Major new Basquiat show opens at the Barbican – a place that is normally very keen to clean any graffiti from its walls.’
The second mural, which bears a likeness to Basquiat’s 1982 work Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump, is captioned: ‘Portrait of Basquiat being welcomed by the Metropolitan Police – an (unofficial) collaboration with the new Basquiat show.’
Basquiat: Boom for Real opens at the Barbican Centre on Wednesday.
It has been described by the Barbican as the ‘first large-scale exhibition in the UK of the work of (the) American artist’.
Basquiat (pictured) first rose to fame as a New York City graffiti artist, before turning his hand to painting. He died in 1988, aged just 27. Left, Basquiat with Andy Warhol in 1985
Banksy weighed into the EU debate by creating a giant ‘Brexit mural’ in Dover
The Barbican works are thought to be the first UK examples of Banksy work since May this year.
The elusive artist, whose identity still remains unknown, weighed into the EU debate by creating a giant ‘Brexit mural’ in Dover.
The piece depicts a workman chipping away at one of the 12 golden stars of the the European Union flag.
Banksy laid claim to the creation on his Instagram page, after it appeared on the side of a house in the Kent port overnight.