Second world premiere for Newmarket as Banksy’s ‘Love is in the Air’ goes on show

The National Horse Racing Museum (www.nhrm.co.uk) will host the first formal exhibition of “Love is in the Air”, (pictured above), one of British street artist Banksy’s most famous works, on July 25.

The image of a half-masked young man throwing a bunch of flowers in the style of a Molotov cocktail has been generously loaned to the museum by The Particle Foundation, a groundbreaking fine-art platform that fractionalises artworks to democratise the ownership and governance of multimillion-pound masterpieces.

Banksy’s large graffiti stencil originated on the side of a garage in Jerusalem, strategically placed near the West Bank Barrier to highlight the absurdity of war and power dynamics.

The radical image, which has drawn comparisons with Picasso’s masterpiece “Guernica” for the significance of its anti-war message, is one of the artist’s most sought-after pieces, referenced and reproduced globally, and was acquired at auction in 2022 by the Particle community for $12.9m.

“Love is in the Air” will go on display at the museum until October 1 before moving to Amsterdam and Barcelona.

This is a second global first for the museum, which was also chosen by John Brandler of Brandler Galleries for the world premiere of “The 7: Banksy Under Siege”.

The collection of seven replica life-size prints of works created by Banksy in war-torn Ukraine were unveiled for the first time at the National Horse Racing Museum in June.

Several of the original creations are now believed to have been destroyed in bombings, so this exhibition is an important record as well as a spectacular art installation.

Visitors are invited to donate directly via QR code to the Ukrainian charity Razom, which funds urgent medical care and provides vital equipment and supplies.

The two exhibitions complement the main show, The Urban Frame: Mutiny In Colour. Also arranged by Mr Brandler for the National Horse Racing Museum, this major celebration of contemporary street art features works by Banksy, Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and many others.

The three exhibitions confirm Newmarket as the must-visit destination for art lovers this summer and they provide an intriguing juxtaposition to two other art collections available to view at the museum.

“The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment: The Coronation Year Exhibition” is a temporary exhibition of 12 large-scale portraits of members of the Household Cavalry by the photographic artist Ripley, on show until July 30. And the museum is the permanent home of the Packard Galleries of British Sporting Art, featuring works by George Stubbs and Sir Alfred Munnings.

“Love is in the Air, The Urban Frame: Mutiny In Colour” and “The 7: Banksy Under Siege” will be on show until October 1.