Golf Sale Banksy

Find out more about Banksy’s ‘Golf Sale’ series, browse prints & editions for sale & view the works wanted by active buyers right now.

Golf Sale is almost entirely identical to the Tiananmen Square Tank Man photograph taken by Jeff Widener in 1989, sometimes called the Unknown Protester. The incident it portrays took place in the aftermath of the Chinese military’s violent suppression of the ’89 Democracy Movement.

The man stands defiantly in front of a line of tanks attempting to block their path through Beijing. It is widely considered to be one of the most notable acts of non-violent intervention in history and the photograph is an iconic image of the 20th century.

In his interpretation, Banksy recreates the scene in black and white, as is typical of his style. As in the original the protester stands in front of three imposing tanks, but in his hand Banksy has inserted a sign, simply reading GOLF SALE in the style of the placards often seen around London’s Oxford Street.

In Banging Your Head Against A Brick Wall, a book released by Banksy in 2001, the artist said ‘We can’t do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime, we should all go shopping to console ourselves.’ With this work, as well as paying tribute to the ones who dare to stand up to authority, Banksy also aims pointed criticism of the kind that can be found in other prints such as Sale Ends, Christ With Shopping Bags and Festival (Destroy Capitalism).