Banksy launches first solo exhibition in 14 years

The Cut &Run show will be open until the end of August in the Gallery of Modern Art

Published 18th Jun 2023

Glasgow is bustling with art lovers today as Banksy's solo exhibition opens its doors.

The show, titled Cut & Run, is being held in the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow's Merchant City.

It's the first time the artist has launched a show of this kind in 14 years.

Extra tickets were released after the event, which will run until 28 August, completely sold out.

It features many of the stencils used to create his most iconic works.

Duke of Wellington's cone

Banksy brought their exhibition to Glasgow because of the famous cone placed atop the head of the Duke of Wellington - something they described as their "favourite work of art in the UK".

The show opened at 9am this morning, with queuing starting an hour earlier.

We asked some visitors emerging from the exhibition for their thoughts - one visitor who travelled from London told us he was "lost for words" after viewing the "breath-taking" pieces.

Another said: "I've followed Banksy's work for ages and I've been down to Bristol to see some of his work before.

"To have this come here, to Glasgow, it's fantastic to have it right on the doorstep and it feels like quite an honour."

'In depth'

Another ticketholder said: "When you walk in, the first thing you see is a tribute to Glasgow and why it was brought here, because of the cone.

"I think that Glasgow is the perfect venue - nowhere else sums up their self-deprecating style, their humour.

"It's even better than you can imagine, it's 20 years of their work and so it feels really personal and in-depth."

Stewards ask visitors to lock their phones and taking photographs is strictly forbidden.

However, staff are carrying polaroid cameras to take pictures of visitors with the artwork on request.

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