Gangsta Rat
Gangsta Rat
Mixed Media
Banksy
Price data unavailable
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Medium: Mixed Media
Format: Mixed Media
Year: 2004
Size: H 41cm x W 30cm
Edition size: 25
Signed: No
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"Bird With Grenade" is an unsigned, mixed media artwork by the acclaimed artist, Banksy. Created in 2002, this rare piece is estimated to be worth between £310,000 to £460,000. With only one sale at auction to date in the United Kingdom on 21st October 2008, it remains a coveted piece for collectors. Despite no sales in the last five years, the artwork's value continues to be recognised. The edition size of this artwork is limited to just 5, adding to its exclusivity.
Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2017 | Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom | Gangsta Rat - Mixed Media | |||
| October 2007 | Sotheby's Online - United Kingdom | Gangsta Rat - Mixed Media |
Meaning & Analysis
Gangsta Rat is a 2004 Banksy mixed media, released in an edition of 25. Banksy combines signature spray-paint and stencilling techniques in depicting a rat wearing baseball cap, chain, and ghetto blaster, New York underground style, in bold monochrome.
Using a stencil, Banksy depicts an anthropomorphised rat that takes on the appearance of a New York gangsta. The rat is rendered in black spray paint wearing a sideways New York Mets baseball cap with a chain around its neck and carrying a boombox. The rat stares out of the composition and to its right is a large exclamation mark. The dripping spray paint implies that the rat has just graffitied the exclamation mark on the canvas.
Rats have become an important visual motif that recur throughout Banksy’s artworks. The rodent has become an allegorical tool for the artist to present the flaws and vices of humans, as well as stand in solidarity with people who are treated like vermin. By making rats the subject of his spray paints, Banksy gives a voice to those who are underrepresented in capitalist society and struggle in the 21st century’s proverbial ‘rat race’.
Banksy is an anonymous artist and produces many of his street murals at night so as to avoid being seen by members of the public, as well as being caught by the police, as his public artworks are created illegally. The lawless nature of Banksy’s artistic career means that artist identifies with rats on a personal level. Like rats, graffiti artists appear at night and are considered nuisances by much of society.
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