The Swiss Embassy in London houses the world’s largest collection of Banksy artworks!
- Delphine & Romain Class
- Feb 27
- 5 min read
In London, beneath the imposing residence of the Swiss Ambassador to the Court of St. James, lies an unusual artistic collection: the walls and pillars of the Swiss Embassy’s underground parking garage are adorned with around fifteen original Banksy artworks, created roughly 25 years ago and kept for many years in complete secrecy. A recent television report by the RTS channel brought them to public attention just a few days ago.
Origin and Context
At the turn of the 2000s, the Swiss Embassy in London was seeking to modernize its image, which had at times been associated with criticism over banking secrecy and other international controversies. It was in this context that street artists, including Banksy, were invited to paint the underground parking garage on Montagu Place, transforming its concrete walls into a vibrant space of creativity. Originally conceived as a purely internal artistic initiative, the project was carried out in complete discretion: the artists worked at night, with no direct contact with the public. Once the murals were completed, the embassy decided to preserve them, captivated by the energy and quality of this unprecedented street art.
A Unique and Invaluable Collection
Today, there are around fifteen (some say sixteen) pieces signed by Banksy covering walls, pillars, and corners of the parking garage. This concentration of artworks in such an unusual space is considered the densest known collection of Banksy in the world. The creations combine humor, social critique, and visual wordplay characteristic of Banksy. They range from iconic motifs to clever visual puns, oscillating between political satire and cultural references: irony is often applied to the banality of everyday life, transforming the parking environment into an underground gallery that both provokes thought and entertains.
An Art Space Inaccessible to the Public… but Precious
Unlike works displayed in museums or on public walls, this “underground museum” is not open to the general public. Located within a diplomatic parking garage, it remains reserved for embassy staff and authorized visitors.
Yet within the world of urban art, this site has become a source of amazement: curators and street art specialists emphasize the significance of this collection, not only for its scale but also because it represents a rare example of street art created within an official diplomatic space—a nearly paradoxical juxtaposition between Banksy’s rebellious spirit and the state institution that has preserved it.
Banksy, from Garage Walls to the Pinnacle of Contemporary Art
Banksy’s story is closely linked to this parking garage: at the time the murals were created (early 2000s), the artist had not yet achieved international fame. Today, his works sell for substantial sums, and his global notoriety is indisputable. The Swiss Embassy collection—still intact after two decades—has become a valuable record of the evolution of street art and of the artist’s unique trajectory.
Between Urban Art and Diplomatic Heritage
What makes this collection so remarkable is both the audacity of the original initiative—inviting graffiti artists to paint a space as formal as an embassy—and the longevity of the works in such an unexpected location. With no public access, these murals remain a closely guarded secret, a clandestine gallery in the heart of London that illustrates the improbable encounter between a giant of street art and a diplomatic institution intent on projecting a modern image. Isobel Muir, curator at the Tate Museum, confirms: “To our knowledge, there is no other place in the world with such a concentration of original Banksy works!”
Mona Lisa on Fire
In the Swiss Embassy’s underground parking garage, one mural draws particular attention: the Mona Lisa, painted on a pillar, retains the soft, enigmatic expression that makes her famous, but upon closer inspection, flames lick her dress and a threatening long-range rifle sight is aimed at her forehead, transforming this icon of serenity into a scene of tension and danger. The fire, present throughout the garage walls, creates a striking contrast between the familiar comfort of her face and the surrounding threat, reflecting Banksy’s characteristic irony and social critique. This work confronts viewers with the fragility of art, history, and culture in the face of destructive forces while amplifying the dramatic effect of the confined space, where every wall becomes both captivating and unsettling.
This is Not a Photo Opportunity
A Banksy inscription on a wall draws attention through its simplicity and irony: “This is not a photo opportunity.” Placed in a space rarely visited and under constant surveillance, the phrase subverts the codes of official signage to question both access to art and the way it is perceived. Banksy transforms a mundane instruction into a provocative comment on the obsession with images and documentation, reminding viewers that art can exist independently of public attention or approval. The starkness of the inscription contrasts with the pictorial works throughout the garage, highlighting the artist’s taste for subtle humor and social critique in an unexpected setting.
Vulture Capitalists
Another large mural by Banksy, titled Vulture Capitalists, occupies an entire wall. It depicts twenty-one portraits of Lenin, each stylized as a punk in a clear homage to Andy Warhol, with repetition and vivid colors. The title plays on a pun between “venture capitalists,” investors in high-risk enterprises, and “vulture,” emphasizing a critique of predatory capitalism. Through this work, Banksy combines humor, provocation, and political commentary, transforming a revolutionary icon into an ironic symbol of modern greed. The visual impact, amplified by the repeated portraits across the wall, makes the mural both striking and unsettling, typical of Banksy’s art where social satire intersects with popular culture and history.
The Monkeys
A square pillar features a mural divided into two distinct sections, yet linked by an atmosphere of threat and chaos. On one section, a monkey is depicted with a radio antenna planted on its head, while flames rise from below, giving the impression that it is caught in a burning environment. On the other section of the same pillar, another monkey has a long-range rifle sight aimed at its forehead, creating a sense of imminent danger. These images combine social critique and dark humor, characteristic of Banksy, transforming animal figures into metaphors for humans under surveillance, control, and extreme vulnerability, while using the pillar’s verticality and angles to amplify the dramatic effect within the confined parking space.
Taken together, these works form a caustic portrait of the relationship between art, power, and hypocrisy. By turning a diplomatic parking garage into a clandestine gallery, Banksy contrasts the spontaneity of graffiti with institutional rigidity. His images, hidden underground, reveal what diplomacy never shows: its contradictions, its masks, its shadow side. This hidden sanctuary bears witness to a rare moment when artistic provocation found refuge at the very heart of the power it critiques.
Banksy was not alone in working on the Swiss Embassy parking garages in London. The project, initiated in the early 2000s by cultural attaché Wolfgang Amadeus Brülhart, brought together several artists from the Swiss and British street art scenes. Among them were Snug and Chu, two London-based graffiti artists close to Banksy, known for murals combining humor and urban geometry. Other artists, remaining anonymous, also contributed to the transformation of the garage, painting alongside Banksy abstract compositions, portraits, and subverted symbols of Swiss identity.
Unfortunately, this street art treasure, of inestimable value, can never be opened to the public.
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