‘The Art of Banksy’ to move to new Soho location at Edge and Mitsubishi Estate’s 125 Shaftesbury Avenue

The internationally acclaimed exhibition will move from Regent Street to a 14,000 sq ft prime retail space on Charing Cross Road.

International real estate developer Edge has announced that ‘The Art of Banksy’, considered the largest touring exhibition of authentic Banksy artworks in the world, will move into a 14,000 sq ft prime retail space at 125 Shaftesbury Avenue on Charing Cross Road. This short termletting is the first milestone since Edge and Mitsubishi Estate London acquiredthe asset in December 2023.

Seen by over one million people worldwide in cities from Melbourne to Chicago, The Art of Banksy made its home in London in 2021. It has quickly become a must-see addition to London’s art scene, showing over 150 Banksy pieces including favourites such as ‘Girl with a Balloon’ and ‘Rude Copper’.

125 Shaftesbury Avenue is a 180,000 sq ft office building with retail at ground floor level. The 1.2-acre freehold site was previously occupied by WeWork and has a strong history of attracting London’s mostinnovative, leading businesses including BT, Yahoo and Meta.Benefitting from excellent connectivity, the building sits in a prime location just south of Tottenham Court Road station, giving access to the Elizabeth, Central and Northern tube lines. The 1980’s building presents a major central London redevelopment opportunity for the joint venture partners.

Edge is committed to fostering arts and culture. In Amsterdam, Edge transformed the atrium space at its EDGE Stadium development, into a concert hall, providing rehearsal space for the 80-piece Symphony Orchestra De Philharmonie to which the local community including nearby residents, workers and the municipality were invited to join for free. Whilst In Berlin, it commissioned artists KIM/ILLI to create a piece of urban art for its EDGE East Side Berlin building.

Fons van Dorst, Executive Managing Director UK at Edge said:

We are pleased to welcome The Art of Banksy to 125 Shaftesbury Avenue. Having just acquired the site in the last quarter, it is clear that it is a sought-after building in a prime London location, fit for a globally renowned exhibition.This development is Edges third London asset and the latest example of our commitment to creatinginspiring spaces that people want to visit and work in.

Michel Boersma, CEO at GTP Exhibitions Ltd and curator of The Art of Banksy, said: 

After our initial successful London runs in Covent Garden and Regent Street, we were looking for a building in the West End with high footfall, great ground floor presence, and enough space to house our exhibition, retail and new coffeeshop. What could be a better location for a Banksy exhibition than Londons very own bohemian hub, Soho. We are looking forward to this exciting new chapter in the life of The Art of Banksy in London at 125 Shaftesbury Avenue, one of the most iconic addresses in the city.

The letting was advised by Savills and Kenningham Retail.