What a tremendous coup for Bristol.

The Banksy exhibition, which opens to the public today, will probably be the biggest cultural event the city has seen for some time.

Yet again, he has managed to build a sense of mystery and excitement around his work and it is amazing that he will be exhibiting in such a public place, yet so few people were in on the act and managed to keep it secret.

Over the years, the Banksy phenomenon has been remarkable to observe.

Yet all along, some things have never changed. First of all, he is still able to maintain a sense of surprise and mystery. Of course, as soon as the print editions of the Evening Post revealed details of the exhibition yesterday, all manner of internet bloggers and so forth were insisting that they knew all along. Strange, then, that they didn't say anything about it at the time.

Banksy has also managed to bring art to the masses, invariably by making a strong political or social point in a humorous way. He has prompted many copycats but none has been able to match both the apparent simplicity and directness of his messages.

He has also polarised opinion.

For some people, he is simply a vandal. Or if he's not a vandal, he has encouraged others to do so. Others believe him to be a genius, and yet more are undoubtedly influenced by his cult celebrity status.

But whatever your view, it is undoubtedly true that Banksy represents a kind of art which is popular but also makes us all think.

With Banksy, we can appreciate his imagination and the means by which he produces artworks which surprise, delight and shock.

This exhibition will create a real buzz for the next three months. Whatever happens, it won't be dull.