Where do you want to see Banksy’s Love is in the Air Next?

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March 10, 2022

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9 min read

Our team has compiled a list of ten cities, all abounding with thriving art scenes, that could host the next LIITA exhibition. The aim is to provide you with options that are not only appealing to you solely based on their location but also ones where we will be able to enhance your experiences in the form of access to the larger art world.

Why the US?

Let us outline why we have chosen to offer the first round of viewings in the US. Currently, LIITA is in Delaware, so firstly, in terms of logistics and transportation, it will be more ecologically conscious to have the painting and future collection tour on a continent-by-continent basis. Additionally, we plan to tour first in the US, since the majority of Particle owners currently reside in the US; however, next is Europe and after that Asia and Africa! We appreciate our community worldwide and are thrilled to have members in every corner of the world. We want all of you to be able to enjoy the collection in person and the experiences that we plan to tailor around its viewings.

The US has an astounding array of art destinations for whatever it is that interests you most— whether you have a passion for antiquities, Native American art, Modern art, or anything else. We have handpicked these US cities, not only on the premise of accessibility for our Particle owners but also for their vibrant and eclectic offerings of art and culture. These cities also dialogue with LIITA, the first painting we chose to acquire. We want to showcase Banksy's work in a city that champions art for all! A city where we can curate a series of tours, talks, events and experiences in partnership with museums, artist studios, art fairs and leading experts in the field. We plan to showcase the work for two weeks, during which time we will offer as many events as possible.

Where to Next?

Denver, Colorado

When you think of street art, you think of Banksy. The same is true for Denver— best-known for being the street art capital of the world! From the jaw-dropping murals in the RiNo Art District to the bold and multi-coloured walls abounding in the Dairy Block district. Denver is also home to one of the largest museums in the Western United States - The Denver Art Museum houses over 70,000 beautiful masterpieces for you to discover. Into Abstract Expressionism? Clyfford Still, one of the great masters of the Abstract Expressionist era has a museum solely devoted to his art in Denver. There is also a thriving contemporary art scene, one mark of this is the dynamic Museum of Contemporary Art Denver.

Dallas, Texas

Texas has grown to be a large piece of the art market puzzle with a growing collector base, strengthening museums and private foundations. The Dallas Art Fair will also be running from April 21-24, 2022 which can easily align with the next LITTA exhibition. The fair will be offering a rich selection of modern and contemporary works from over 130 artists. Another highlight here is the Nasher Sculpture Center which holds an iconic collection of works by internationally acclaimed artists like Alexander Calder, Picasso and Henry Moore. Other highlights include The Dallas Art Museum and Dallas Arts District. Another gem is a new Artspace, the Green Family Art Foundation which opens one family’s impressive private art collection to the public.

Chicago, Illinois

Get up close and personal with some of the world’s most famous artworks at The Art Institute of Chicago. The permanent collection houses the most extensive collection of acclaimed impressionist works outside the Louvre, with paintings from Monet, Cassatt, Renoir, Degas, and modern masters like Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol, Eva Hesse, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Joan Mitchell, Bruce Nauman, Jackson Pollock, Gerhard Richter, and Cy Twombly. The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago leads the way in championing the new and unexpected in contemporary art and culture through its exhibitions. The EXPO Chicago Art Fair is running April 7-10, 2022, which will host 150 leading art galleries and institutions from more than 20 countries globally. Another highlight in Chicago is the Smart Museum of Art which houses more than 16,000 artworks, ranging from European paintings and Asian arts to contemporary and Modern art.

Los Angeles, California

The city in which Banksy's "Barely Legal" exhibit took place in September of 2006, seeing crowds upwards of 30,000, including Brad Pitt and Jude Law, witnessed the artist's mastery. Banksy once said that Hollywood is a place where they honour their heroes by writing their names on the pavement to be walked on by fat people and peed on by dogs. It seemed like a great place to come and be ambitious. In that spirit, we think it would be a great place to exhibit his work once again, speaking to the dialogue between "high" and "low" culture as Banksy so expertly does. There are an innumerable number of art studios to visit and major museums and collections, including; The LACMA Museum (the largest museum in western America), The Underground Museum, The Getty Museum and The Hammer Museum. Another stand-out is The Geffen Contemporary art at MOCA which is located in the historical area of Little Tokyo. Just opposing that is The Broad Museum, which houses the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Marc Bradford, Warhol, Christopher wool and Roy Lichtenstein, to name a few epic names.

San Francisco, California

San Francisco is a city with a long and rich history of murals and street art. It would be difficult not to be impressed by the colourful array of expressive murals scattered around the city and their mark of raw expressions of emotion. While San Francisco was once home to at least six Banksy works, only one original work seems to remain there physically. The Mission neighbourhood is well known for its murals and street art, and Banksy’s ‘Bird Singing in Tree’ can still be seen through a fence at the corner of Erie and Mission Street. Other highlights include; The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, seven floors jam-packed with modern and contemporary art, De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park and the world-class Museum of the African Diaspora, one of the only museums that focus on art made by African artists across the globe.

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is home to an abounding contemporary art scene which includes; The ICA Boston, which is an architectural marvel in itself and houses a multifaceted collection of national and international artworks in a range of media. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston housing the likes of Mary Cassat and Vincent van Gogh. The Gardner Museum is another architectural marvel in its lavish reconstruction of a 15th-century Venetian palace— housing an extensive collection of European, Asian, and American art across diverse mediums like paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. The Harvard Art Museum is a standout and Harvard's oldest museum featuring European & American art from the Middle Ages to the present day.

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta's diverse and prevalent art scene can be seen across its multifaceted institutions and the impressive display of distinct street art. In recent times it has even been noted as the best US city for displaying street art. From the infamous Krong Street Tunnel to midtown, East Atlanta Village, Castleberry Hill and the Old Fourth Ward district. The work of Banksy would surely not be out of place here! There is no shortage of prestigious institutional collections either, like The High Museum of Art, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Meier whose collection includes everything from medieval Italian painters to local contemporary artists.

Charlotte, North Carolina

The museums and galleries in Charlotte are said to be amongst the foremost in the nation. Some highlights include; The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, dedicated to mid-20th-century modern art. Their collection consists of names like Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miró, Max Ernst, Andy Warhol, Jean Tinguely, Barbara Hepworth and Pablo Picasso. The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts and Culture is another standout that champions celebrating the contributions of African Americans to the nation's cultural legacy. The Mint Museum Randolph is North Carolinas first museum. The landmark museum is spread across two sprawling locations that showcase a globally sourced collection, from the ancient Americas to European and African art.

Washington, D.C

Washington's impressive art scene includes The National Gallery of Art, a sprawling collection spanning time and medium housing some of the greats like; Johannes Vermeer, Thomas Gainsborough, Jackson Pollock, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Monet and Van Gough! The Phillips Collection is also a highlight that houses a ton of classical masters like Van Gough, Cézanne and Renoir and modern masters like Paul Klee, Georgia O'Keeffe, Alfred Stieglitz, and Ellsworth Kelly. A lover of Modern and Contemporary Art? The Hirshhorn Museum (the building arguably a work of art in itself) has a permanent collection that exhibits artworks by some of the modern and contemporary art world's greatest masters, like Picasso, Matisse, Pollock, Bacon and Hopper. Another standout is the National Museum of Women in the Arts, which is the only museum exclusively dedicated to showcasing only female artists who span across different nationalities. It houses the likes of Frida Kahlo, Clara Peeters and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Miami, Florida

Even though you may have had the opportunity to view the LIITA painting at the ICA Miami during Art Basel, we think there is much more to see and do here! Miami presents a unique opportunity for more exciting events in partnership with the eclectic museums and institutions the city has to offer. A high-profile list includes; The Perez Art Museum, The De la Cruz collection, ICA Miami (of which Particle is Partners already), The Rubell museum, The Bass Museum, The Lowe Art Museum, The Museum of Contemporary art, Superblue Miami and The Margulies Collection. The Wynwood Arts District is also a highlight here; it contains 70 museums and galleries and 30 studios. Wynwood Walls is a unique outdoor exhibition space with some of the world's most intriguing graffiti murals and street art across the neighbourhood's buildings.

We've set out these brief descriptions to offer you a taste of what each of these unique cities has to offer. With that, we leave it to you. We know this will be hard to decide, and we are elated to present the opportunity to place the choice in YOUR hands. Choose wisely, and we can't wait to see you all there.

Voting will take place Wednesday, March 16th, and will last until Sunday, March 20th, at midnight PST.

We are in the process of developing a more sophisticated voting mechanism for future votes; however, in the interim, we wanted you to have your say sooner rather than later, so the first round of voting will be via Discord utilizing a custom-made app. In the spirit of the current role structure for Banksy LIITA collectors on Discord, the following weighting will be applied to votes: