At the end of the first decade of the 21st century, gallery opening nights were harder to get into than clubs. London was experiencing a street art explosion and anybody who was anybody wanted to be part of it.

We reminisce – and talk about UK street art’s latest resurgence – below.

Much like New York in the early 1980s, London had its own street art boom a couple of decades ago. But unlike the faster-than-light price appreciation across the Pond, the city’s print scene made collecting accessible to all.

That scene is now part of street art history. Some of its key players featured in Beyond The Streets – an exhibition looking back at urban art that toured New York, LA and London’s Saatchi Gallery and opened in Shanghai at the end of July.

Banksy was, of course, central to the street art explosion. By the time Hang-Up began selling the artist in 2008, he was a celebrity favourite and a trickle down effect gave the scene laser focus. When the gallery set up a Banksy Bunker at its first premises in Dalston, it drew visitors from all over the world.

These days, Banksy has the hearts of high profile collectors but 2023 marked a noticeable return to the streets. Then there’s his current stencil retrospective, Cut & Run, at the Glasgow Gallery of Art – a fond (and authorised) look back at where it all began.