CHICAGO — An Art of Banksy ticket holder, who was featured on WGN News Thursday, was refunded her money.
Christina El-Mofty spent nearly $400 for six tickets to the Art of Banksy for July 10. She wanted to take her family visiting from out of town.
Just before the story aired, she says she received an email that said her money would be refunded.
In 2018, Banksy stunned the art world with a painting that shredded itself moments after it sold at auction.
The unauthorized Art of Banksy is billed as the largest exhibit ever assembled featuring the work of the anonymous street artist.
After the first Chicago venue fell through, the exhibit’s opening was pushed back to August at a new location – the Epiphany Center for the Arts in the West Loop.
On Wednesday, the venue announced that despite numerous good faith attempts, the parties weren’t able to come to turns on a lease.
“Like the elusive Banksy himself, the team behind The Art of Banksy is nowhere to be found,”
said Epiphany Center co-founder David Chase in a written statement.
The venue canceled several events and musical performances to accommodate the exhibit.
Last month, WGN News spoke with Phil Aiello and Hayley Nagengast, whose wedding plans were impacted by the exhibition’s impending residence.
“The thing we’ve been working towards for the last year is essentially ruined,” the couple said at the time.
The producers of the Art of Banksy released a statement that said, “Epiphany Center’s management team frequently changed the terms of our agreement in a way that made producing the show in this venue untenable.”
A spokesperson for the exhibit said a new venue will be announced soon and the box office team will be reaching out to ticket holders with the new venue information and the opportunity to exchange their tickets or get a refund
The Epiphany Center is now trying to rebook the programming and events that were postponed or canceled for the show.