Banksy Modest Collection
the spirit of solidarity
If the artist Banksy fiercely guards the mystery of his identity, it is undoubtedly also because he primarily wants to make visible the causes he champions. A committed and pacifist artist, he has succeeded in leaving his mark on strategic areas of the political world, such as the "Wall of Shame" in the West Bank that separates Israelis and Palestinians, or by funding the "Louise Michel" ship, which rescues migrants lost at sea. His stencils are invitations to break down divisions, to confront our contradictions, and to look at the world with a more poetic perspective.
The Banksy Modest Collection aims to present the career and commitments of this now world-renowned artist to the general public. The collection is available for rent for a period of fifteen days to cities, organizations, and socio-cultural institutions. This rental includes pre-event organization, an on-site coordination team, scenography, mediators, and communication.
Visits can be followed with our mediators and mediation sessions are reserved for school groups (from 8 years old) or other groups.
Solidarity and humanism
In each city hosting the exhibition, we bring together associations working with the most vulnerable people for the event. By contributing to the organization and welcoming of visitors, they have the opportunity to present their missions to the general public and benefit from the exhibition's extensive media coverage to highlight their work.
Entry is free: for the BMC, access to culture for all is not an option.
Visitors are invited to make a donation, according to their wishes and means. Each donor will receive a "collector's" poster of the exhibition or, depending on the donation,
The screen print is specially produced for each exhibition. At the end of the exhibition, a portion of the proceeds from donations is given to local partner charities.
An incredible collection
This collection was acquired from a private collector. The trigger? A chance encounter with Banksy in 2007.
While the art market is going wild and speculating, he is collecting everything he can get his hands on.
In 2020, nearly 250 works and objects were collected, and the collector is considering selling it. The risk? Seeing it dispersed at auction.
Informed by a mutual friend, Thierry Angles proposed to buy the entire collection with the idea of presenting it free of charge to the public and making it a tool for associations fighting for a fairer world .
This is how the SAS Banksy Modeste Collection was born.
AN ENDOWMENT FUND
Given the success of the Banksy Modest Collection, the founding members decided in September 2022 to create an endowment fund.
This non-profit legal structure is intended to collect your donations in order to redistribute them to associations with a social, educational, humanitarian purpose, which work to alleviate the suffering and difficulties of the most vulnerable people.
The endowment fund is overseen by the systematic intervention of an auditor, guaranteeing transparency for donors.
Banksy, an extraordinary artist
Since the 1990s, Banksy has become the undisputed king of street art.
Recognized worldwide for his socially conscious work, the artist has nevertheless always fiercely guarded his anonymity. Neither the name, age, nor nationality of the street artist, who is also a painter and filmmaker, is known. This mystery only adds to his legend.
His street art, most often created using stencils, primarily aims to denounce and criticize the flaws of humanity and society, with the explicit goal of provoking reflection and action. Racism, homophobia, religion, capitalism, war, disinformation… these are just some of the themes he presents to our gaze and consciences with subversion, humor, and poetry.
We remember The Sad Little Girl, painted on a door of the Bataclan in Paris as a tribute to the victims of the November 13, 2015 tragedy, and the large drawing depicting Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald holding the hand of a little girl burned by napalm (based on the famous photograph taken after a bombing in Vietnam). Among his iconic works is Love is in the Air, placed on the separation wall between Palestine and Israel, which depicts a man throwing a bouquet of flowers rather than a Molotov cocktail. A true message of peace in the midst of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"Sorry! The lifestyle you requested is currently out of stock," reads a piece of graffiti done in London during the 2012 Olympic Games.
In August 2015, he opened his Dismaland amusement park near Bristol, a parody of the famous Disneyland. This project allowed him to exhibit his own works as well as those of around fifty other artists. When the park closed to the public the following September, Banksy sent the wood used in its construction to Calais to be used for building shelters for refugees.
This is the story and these commitments that the Banksy Modest Collection tells you.
Here, you won't find works worth millions in an art market that the artist himself has denounced, but you will understand Banksy's journey and spirit. And since many of us won't have the chance to discover his works around the world, we offer you the opportunity to admire them for free and appreciate this remarkable human and artistic adventure.
What does Banksy think of this exhibition?
The BMC team has no direct contact with the artist, whose anonymity they respect. This charity exhibition has not been denounced by Banksy, as he does when his art is used for commercial purposes. BMC exhibitions aim to give everyone the opportunity to access the artworks and their context. The philosophy behind this initiative was conceived in connection with Banksy's activism: free and accessible art for all , bringing his art closer to audiences who are otherwise excluded, and generating donations for organizations working for the causes he champions.
The BMC presumes that Banksy agrees with this initiative insofar as it respects his work and his struggles.
