Banksy in Bristol - what the critics said

What fun! You would have to be the snootiest of critics not to be swept away by the sheer exuberance of this show.

The entrance hall is a riot, packed full of work that plays with the environment.

There is so much in this show it is hard to get to grips with everything in one visit.

His work articulates his generation’s cynical, shrugging wit; the ability to be both angry with and take the mickey out of the rotten ways of those in charge.

Miranda Sawyer, the Guardian

It’s funny and that’s fantastic. We have to thank Banksy for giving us all a laugh. To wander through it feels like flipping through a 3D joke book.

After a bit, being with Banksy feels a bit like being with that pub bore who bombards you with jokes. The edge wears off.

His works are irresistibly cheeky and he has lots of energy. But in the long run they are no more than visual one-liners.

Rachel Campbell Johnston, the Times

Whether this is a victory for the establishment or the artist is unclear, but it is undoubtedly the next step in Banksy’s curious march to anonymous fame.

There might be some shock value in confronting a classical statue with an upturned pot of pink paint on its head in the street, but not one staged in a museum.

Likewise, an old master daubed with the words: “Exit through the gift shop” could hardly make its point with a broader brush. And you search in vain among the exhibits for any proper sense of the artist himself.

Tim Adams, the Observer

The Bristol lot are all thrilled, of course, as the queues winding down Queens Road testify. Inside, the first thing to strike you – in keeping with Banksy’s style – is the scale, audacity and chutzpah of the thing.

Banksy jokes the exhibition is his vision of the future. If so, it’s pretty bleak.

Is it art? I’m not sure. But it’s striking, funny and memorable. And for sheer courage, both Banksy and the museum deserve acclaim.

Steve Wright, the Independent