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Last August, slippery street artist Banksy went on a bit of a rampage. Over the course of a week, nine mysterious animal murals were plastered all across London. It started with a mountain goat in Kew Bridge West, then elephants appeared in Chelsea a few hours later, followed by a troupe of monkeys in Shoreditch, a howling wolf in Peckham, a virilous rhino in Greenwich and a shawl of piranhas spray-painted on a police sentry box in the City of London.
Like a lot of the artist’s work, most of the pieces were swiftly removed, covered up or vandalised. Shortly after Banksy confirmed that it was his doing, ‘Piranhas’ was moved behind a display at the Guildhall for the public to admire from a safe distance. Now, it’s been moved into storage ahead of going on permanent display at the new London Museum in 2026.
The new attraction (formerly the Museum of London in London Wall) will open at Smithfield Market next year. It acquired Banksy’s piece after the City of London Corporation voted to donate it.
🎨 Here’s a map of all the Banksys you can still spot around London.
Glyn Davies, the museum’s head of curatorial, said: ‘With the arrival of Banksy's Piranhas, our collection now spans from Roman graffiti to our first piece of contemporary street art. This work by one of the world's most iconic artists now belongs to Londoners, and will keep making waves when it goes on show next year in the Museum's new Smithfield home.’
Chris Hayward, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, added: ‘Banksy stopped Londoners in their tracks when this piece appeared in the Square Mile - and now, we're making it available to millions.
‘By securing it for London Museum, we're not only protecting a unique slice of the City's story, but also adding an artwork that will become one of the museum's star attractions.’
More than 70,000 Londoners have been involved in the creation of London Museum so far. We also know that it will put on an exhibition of old signs from some of London’s most iconic venues, including one donated by Fabric nightclub. An exact opening date it yet to be announced.
Another Banksy artwork has just gone on display in Covent Garden.
These are the best art exhibitions you can see in London right now.
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