Tuesday 8 April 2025

Little is known about Banksy—he’s British, from Bristol, and emerged in the 1990s with a stencil-based approach to street art. His work pops up in the most surprising places. Most memorable are large rodents, chimpanzees, girls with balloons and flower-throwing freedom fighters. Some see Banksy as a prankster but with increasingly serious cultural or socio-political points to make. The picture that shredded itself at Sotheby’s in 2018 is a good example. His installations and graffiti on or near the West Bank Wall, and in Ukraine, are another. Surprisingly, Banksy remains anonymous to the general public, despite his popularity. The lecture will trace the course of his career and describe his major artworks, as well as commenting on his identity. However, giving lectures on Banksy can be challenging, as a new piece of graffiti, or an installation, may pop up just before, or even on, the day of the lecture. Every attempt will be made to include these new pieces in the lecture! 

Raymond Warburton: 

Ray has had a life-long love of art. However, in his twenties, Ray studied social sciences at the London School of Economics and the School of Oriental and African Studies. These studies led to a career in health and social care, with art being an evening and weekend passion. But all that changed in 2011, when Ray became a guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Then from 2014 to 2017, he studied art history at the Open University, and then at the University of Buckingham, from where he gained an MA in the History of Art. And to cap it all, Ray became an Arts Society lecturer in 2017. Ray also knows what it’s like to be on the receiving end of lectures as he is a member of his local Arts Society in Blackheath.