Banksy finally unveiled his highly anticipated summer show at the Bristol Museum in the UK today. His largest collection to date, this exhibit has expanded upon the notions of animal cruelty seen in his last showing in New York City, Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill, and included commentary on human worker’s rights.

Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery presents this unique collaboration between the city's foremost cultural institution and one of the region's most infamous artists, tilted Banksy Versus Bristol Museum. Banksy has gained notoriety in recent years by using stencils to paint images on a diverse array of outdoor locations, always pushing boundaries but somehow managing to remain anonymous. This is the first exhibition in a three storey Edwardian museum.

For this massive show, Banksy worked in tandem with the museum's director. Banksy filled three stories of the building with his art in just 36 hours under tight security, as only a few museum staff were aware of the shows' imminent arrival. In fact, apparently many of the museum guides only discovered that they would be working in a Banksy exhibition on Thursday (two day’s prior to its public opening) after being employed via the Job Centre.

"This show is my vision of the future," the artist says. Through this latest stunt, Banksy has definitely shown yet another facet of his intriguing personality.

A twist on your average sculpture lion welcomes viewers to the Bristol Museum 
Banksy's first show in Bristol since 2000 will open to the public tomorrow, June 13th, 2009
Here, Banksy remains true to his street art roots, commenting on worker’s rights 

Banksy has stated his anonymity helps protect him in ongoing legal battles, however it's widely presumed he is an artist from Bristol
Monkey or human: Banksy seems to comment on our collective creativity and the genetic closeness between humans and monkeys
Another part of the Museum showcases a recreation of Banksy’s studio with works in progress, sketches, and his apparent affinity for ‘thug life’ apparel  
The lower floor of the museum features solely Banksy’s work, including over 70 new pieces and a reversioned ‘pet shop’ reminiscent of his last NYC show
In other portions of the Museum, Banksy’s work is placed amongst the classical areasThe exhibition runs from June 13th through August 31, 2009 at the city’s museum on Queen’s Road in Bristol. None of the work is for sale and the show has been funded entirely by Banksy himself.

Photos via The BBC.

Banksy vs Bristol Museum Video:

The Bristol Museum is open from 10am to 5pm daily. Banksy Versus Bristol Museum runs from June 13th through August 31, 2009. Admission is free.

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