​Banksy pays tribute to Basquiat with two new murals in London

Renowned street artist Banksy has unveiled two new murals at the Barbican in London which pay homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat, an American artist who rose to prominence during the 70s and 80s.

Both Banksy pieces are an “unofficial collaboration” and appeared just days before the very first Basquiat retrospective showcase in the UK, taking place at the Barbican on September 20. According to the artist, the location is “a place that is normally very keen to clean any graffiti from its walls”.

Each new mural features a nod to the iconic style of Basquiat. There’s the ferris wheel with Basquiat’s crown as the carriages, while the other is captioned “Portrait of Basquiat being welcomed by the Metropolitan Police” and features a figure with a likeness to Basquiat’s 1982 Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump being frisked by police.

View both of Banksy’s Basquiat murals via the gallery above or on the artist's Instagram.

Harrison is Mixmag's East Coast Editor. Follow him on Twitter here