ARTIST BANKSY SET TO REVEAL SELF-PORTRAIT, by denzil on Oct 17, 2009 10:14:26 GMT 1, ARTIST BANKSY SET TO REVEAL SELF-PORTRAIT

‘£250,000’ piece by cult graffiti painter on show at bar exhibition

CLUES to the identity of elusive guerilla graffiti artist Banksy are set to be revealed when a never-before-seen self-portrait of the artist goes on show in an Upper Street bar.
The exclusive Banksy original – worth £250,000 – and entitled A Portrait of An Artist, has until now been hanging in a private home in Bristol.
But next weekend (October 24 and 25), The Library bar will celebrate a major coup with a pop-up exhibition featuring Banksy originals, along with work by musician 3D, founder of the band Massive Attack, Secret Wars urban artist Inkie and a selection of Bristol’s finest.
A security guard will protect the Banksy pieces, which will be displayed in a private room above The Library’s bar. Alarms and cameras will also keep a watchful eye over them.
The show will feature original Banksy sculpture Watchtower and painting Heavy Weaponry, a collection of signed and unsigned prints, and a mystery installation.
The work, which is all for sale, with the exception of the self-portrait and the installation, will range from £100 to £25,000.
The show, featuring exhibits from 3Dom, Blu Bradley, DNT, Filthy Luker, FLX, Ghost Boy, Levi C, Lucy McLaughlin, Mick Hockney and Paul Insect, is to celebrate the launch of Bristol’s Crazy Fools online gallery.
Leon Thompson, of Crazy Fools, said: “It’s nice to do it in The Library because it’s not your normal four white walls space.
“We’ve got some really good urban art as well as some non-urban art including digital prints from Sarah Warren and really striking work from Anton of Shepherds Bush. We’ve got furniture, statues, and a giant glass moth table which I think we’re going to hang up.”
Mr Thompson said that the Banksy installation is a “really vibrant street Banksy”.
But all he could reveal about the self-portrait was: “The whole thing is quite secretive. It’s called a Portrait of an Artist. It’s him drawing himself.”
Crazy Fools’ Paul Villalba said: “We’ve never done anything on this scale before. We’re completely taking over The Library, with art happening everywhere possible.
“There’s going to be stuff bursting out of the windows, performance artists outside, live installations, exclusive works.”
MP Emily Thornberry, whose office is a short distance around the corner from The Library, said: “The most important thing is it’s the sort of art that young people are interested in. It’s fantastic news.”
The pop-up show runs from October 24 to 25, at The Library, 235 Upper Street. Children admitted from 2pm to 5pm. Exhibitors include 3Dom, Blu Bradley, DNT, Filthy Luker, FLX, Ghost Boy, Levi C, Lucy McLaughlin, Mick Hockney and Paul Insect. The gallery is open 2pm-10pm, free entry. www.crazyfools.net. www.thecnj.co.uk/islington/2009/101609/inews101609_01.html