Pop culture mashed up as Warhol-Banksy exhibit opens

A new exhibit displaying artwork by British graffiti artist Banksy alongside that of iconic U.S. pop artist Andy Warhol is piquing the interest of the London art world.

The Hospital gallery in London has opened Warhol vs Banksy, an exhibit that features about 40 similar works by the two artists displayed together.

"Warhol created some iconic works about the culture of his generation and Banksy is in the process of doing exactly the same thing," Duncan Cargill, the gallery's creative director, told Reuters.

Among the more notable matchups includes one of Warhol's famed 1960s-era Marilyn Monroe screen prints alongside Banksy's take: a 2005 screen print of British supermodel Kate Moss, snarling slightly, and depicted with similar hair and makeup as Warhol's image of the deceased film siren.

In an apparant homage to another of Warhol's most iconic images that of Campbell's Soup cans Banksy created a print series featuring tins of soup from ubiquitous British retail food giant Tesco.

"Both artists are dedicated to talking to their audiences in the most straightforward language they can," Cargill said. "They are not complicated pieces of work; they cut to the chase."

Other pieces showcased in the exhibit include Warhol's pencil drawings of Queen Elizabeth II and the Beatles, as well as Banky's portrait of Winston Churchill with a lime-green mohawk hairstyle.

The British artist, who has been able to keep his identity a secret, apparently also left one of his famous guerrilla stencils outside the gallery.

An image of Marilyn Monroe was discovered on the pavement following Thursday night's launch party for the exhibit.

Banksy vs Warhol continues at The Hospital gallery until Sept. 1.