BANKSY (British Street Artist, b. 1974) Lot n° 2

‘Gangsta Rat’ (Seel St / Liverpool Bienniale 2004) Stencil and Spray paint on Plywood Size: 49.8 x 49.8 cm Framed in a bespoke box and behind glass (19.6 x 19.6 inches) Framed 60cm x 60cm (Unique) PROVENANCE Executed on an abandoned building on Seel St and timed to coincide with the 2004 Liverpool Biennale, this piece was produced at the same time as a number of other public works, all of which were located within a short walk of each other, on the border of Chinatown, and in between the neighbourhoods of Knowledge Quarter and Baltic Triangle. It has been in the same private ownership since it was salvaged in 2004. NOTE Rats are iconic in Banksy street art prints, because they are emblematic of street art itself. Banksy rats reference the so-called father of stencil graffiti,” Blek Le Rat. This French stencil artist, who made his name in the 1980s, was similarly fond of rats as subjects because of their massive, if negatively perceived, impact on populations. Banksy’s Gangsta Rat is shown sitting down next to a large, portable “boom-box” stereo. He is wearing a working-class New York City uniform of a heavy chain medallion necklace and a NY Mets baseball cap. His expression is one of surprise — as if he is equally as startled by the viewer’s expression as we are of his own. The market is relatively small for street pieces as not many have survived, even though they are by far the most important. This stencil is featured in Banksy’s self-published book ‘Cut it Out’. Rats are one of Banksy’s most prolific subjects, and Gangsta Rat is a truly iconic Banksy artwork. The screen print first appeared in 2004 in the red colorway with a limited edition of 350 signed and unsigned pieces, and was re-released in 2005 in an edition of 500. Banksy also created rare colorways of Gangsta Rat (Pink) in an edition of 64 and Gangsta Rat (Green) in an edition of 20 in 2004, and released a