Banksy brings provocative street art to Madrid

ANONYMOUS London street artist Banksy's work will be on display in Madrid from Thursday, February 23 at the Urvanity art fair in the Neptuno Palace.

The gritty and at times blackly-funny realism of the unknown graffiti painter – whose identity is such a mystery that nobody knows whether 'Banksy' is a man or a woman – includes a mixture of political statements and quirky reinterpretations of existing defects on buildings around the capital.

Banksy painted a doctor with a stethoscope checking a spray-painted heart which had been scrawled on a grey wall, and has added children with paintbrushes to already-defaced surfaces to make it look as though the lifelike black-and-white characters are creating the previously-drawn graffiti.

His works have been sold, with the public authority auctioning the paintings but then leaving it up to the winning bidder to decide how to move the images – a difficult task when they are drawn on walls belonging to borough councils.

Some have been purchased by companies to use as their logos.

Generally, Banksy's works can fetch up to €1 million when they go under the hammer.

Galleries worldwide, including the Station 16 in Montréal, the Don Gallery in Milan, Pretty Portal in Düsseldorf, Kolly Gallery in Zürich, Vroom&Varoisseau and Andenken in Amsterdam, Open Walls in Berlin, the Urban Art Gallery in Stuttgart, the Martine Ehmer art centre in Belgium, Art Areté in Andorra, Swinton Gallery in Madrid, Plastic Murs in Valencia, Mambo Gallery in Vigo, Fousion Gallery and Montana Gallery in Barcelona, PDP in Paris, and London's Stolen Space will lend their works to Madrid for the four-day exhibition.

Banksy will be joined by other internationally-famous street artists including D*Face, whose works are held at Stolen Space; Jef Aerosol, whose paintings are displayed at the Martine Ehmer, Moses & Tap, JonOne and Fin DAC.

Part of the New Contemporary Art Fair – the first-ever in Spain and which features urban paintings from the 1970s to the present day – the Urvanity exhibition carries a ticket price of €8 when pre-booked or €10 on the door.

Advance bookings can be made via Urvanity-art.com.

The venue is just off the Paseo del Prado, before the Neptune fountain and the Westin Palace Hotel, along the C/ Cervantes.