On the occasion of the Banksy exhibition "Laugh now", we visited the Moco Museum, a museum of contemporary art in Amsterdam. In addition to Banksy's superb exhibition, there was another exhibition by Daniel Arsham "Connecting Time" which was also worth a visit and also a permanent collection with works by Fidia Falaschetti, Roy Lichtenstein, Jeff Koons, JR, Keith Haring, Andy Warhol etc...
A brief look back at the career of the most famous Street art artist. Originally from Bristol in England, Banksy has always concealed his true identity. He began his work mainly by making stencils in the streets, first in Bristol and then all over the world. His art mixes humour, poetry and political commitment (anti-capitalist, anti-militarist and anti-system). He also makes films, the most famous one is undoubtedly "Exit through the gift shop", a true/false documentary on the art market, a must see (made in 2010). This film has won numerous awards and is even nominated for the Oscar for best documentary
His work is gigantic, smart and daring. In 2004, he made counterfeit banknotes with Lady Diana instead of the effigy of the Queen of England, printed by the "BANKsy of England" which he dispersed during a carnival. He also diverted paintings by classic painters such as Monet and Van Gogh. He also placed a remake of the Mona Lisa with a smiley face at the Louvre Museum in Paris among the other great classical paintings and repeated it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 2005.
In 2005, he painted on Bethlehem’s wall in support of the Palestinians and founded the project "Santa's guetto". In 2006, he placed an inflatable doll wearing an orange uniform like the prisoners from Guantanamo Bay in a Disneyland park. The event was filmed and visible in his film "Exit through the gift shop".
Banksy also makes fun of the art market with a lot of ingenuity (which makes this exhibition at the Moco museum rather paradoxical) by making original happenings such as selling his originals in central park in New York for $60 to passers-by who don't really know that they are originals, some even bargain for the price. These paintings are now estimated to be more than $150.00 each. Another happening, he destroys, thanks to a little paper shredder hidden in the frame, one of his paintings when it is auctioned in London. You can easily find videos on the web, it's worth watching ! He also worked with migrants in Calais, for example by creating a portrait of Steve Jobs wearing a computer and a bundle, reminding them that Apple's creator is the son of a Syrian immigrant. These are just a few examples of his immense talent and commitment and it made us want to travel to Amsterdam in order to show a little bit of the best of street art for those who won't have the opportunity to go there.
The mission of this recent museum is to attract a neophyte or young public to contemporary art. It is located in the museum district of Amsterdam next to the Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum. The Moco museum features artists such as Banksy, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jean michel Basquiat, Yayoi Kusama, Daniel Arsham, Jeff Koons, Keith Haring among others. The museum, housed in an old building, is surrounded by a sumptuous garden decorated with contemporary works, which you can visit if you’re in Amsterdam. https://mocomuseum.com/ Here are some of the works you can discover there. A little gift visit…
Until September 30th 2019, Moco Museum in Amsterdam is hosting New York-based artist Daniel Arsham’s solo show "Connecting Time".
