Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Tesco Value Petrol Bomb (First Edition)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
A painterly offset print depicting an amber glass beer bottle made into a Molotov cocktail, its cloth wick lit and trailing dark smoke, fronted by a parody Tesco "Value" supermarket label reading "PETROL BOMB" with a small "100% Flammable" tag, isolated on a plain pale grey-blue ground. The image fuses an icon of street protest with a budget-brand consumer label, a characteristic Banksy collision of insurrection and supermarket capitalism.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 50. Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Why It Matters
The piece turns a riot's most recognizable weapon into a discount supermarket product, suggesting that even rebellion has been packaged, price-pointed and sold back to the consumer. By branding a petrol bomb as "Tesco Value," Banksy needles both corporate retail ubiquity and the commodification of dissent, themes that run through his anti-capitalist and protest work. Released in 2011, a year defined by the Arab Spring, Occupy and the August UK riots, the image reads as a pointed comment on consumer culture meeting civil unrest.
Collector Perspective
This is the First Edition offset print in an edition of 50, a small run that places it well above mass-market posters in scarcity but below Banksy's most sought-after screenprints in market profile. As an offset lithograph rather than a hand-pulled screenprint, and as a piece tied to the satirical Tesco Value series, it sits in a more accessible tier of his market; condition, margins and any signature or authentication will drive value most. Buyers should confirm whether a given example is signed or unsigned, since that distinction materially affects price. Banksy demand is consistently strong, but verify provenance and documentation carefully given the volume of unauthorized Tesco-themed material in circulation.
Historical Context
The "Tesco Value" branding parodies the UK supermarket giant's no-frills budget line, instantly legible to a British audience as a symbol of cheap mass consumption. Pairing that label with a Molotov cocktail places the work squarely in Banksy's anti-capitalist, anti-establishment lineage, where corporate logos are repurposed as instruments of critique. Issued in 2011 during a period of global protest and the UK's own riots, the print belongs to Banksy's Art-World Era, when his imagery had moved from Bristol and London walls into the gallery and print market while keeping its street-protest vocabulary of fire, weapons and revolt.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print
- Release date
- 2011
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Offset.
- Edition details
- Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 50.
- Signature and marks
- Edition-specific signature, numbering, and stamp details were not stated in the saved release record. Verify signing and numbering against a documented example of this edition.
Documented History and Meaning
History note: This page treats Banksy's broader career as background context, not proof that this specific edition belongs to any single exhibition or event. Release-level facts here come from a saved secondary catalog record.
Meaning / interpretation: No per-work artist statement is recorded for this edition. Any thematic reading should be treated as interpretation of the imagery, not a documented statement of the artist's intent. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2011.
Authentication, Presentation and Provenance
- Original presentation
- Original packaging or presentation was not documented in the release sources reviewed.
- Authentication note
- Compare the support, dimensions, edition number, and signature against a documented example of this edition. Gauntlet Gallery does not authenticate works purchased from third parties.
- Provenance note
- Edition origin is attributed in the saved record to the release source named in the saved record. That does not establish the ownership history of an individual copy: retain the original invoice, reseller or gallery paperwork, labels, correspondence, and condition photographs.
Sources and Verification
Verification status: Secondary catalog snapshot; artist-level context added
- Banksy — Wikipedia · reference encyclopedia · Accessed 2026-07-13 · General artist-level biographical and career reference.
- Banksy (Q133600) — Wikidata · reference knowledge base · Accessed 2026-07-13 · Structured identifier used for the artist across catalog metadata.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
An amber glass bottle turned into a Molotov cocktail with a lit, smoking rag wick, wearing a parody Tesco 'Value' supermarket label that reads 'PETROL BOMB' alongside a '100% Flammable' tag, set against a plain pale grey-blue background.
What is the edition size?
This is the First Edition, with an edition of 50.
What medium is it?
It is an offset print (offset lithograph), 2011.
Is it signed?
The title does not specify a signature, so examples may be signed or unsigned. Always confirm the signature status and any accompanying authentication for the specific copy you are considering, as it affects value.
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is the anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark humor and anti-war, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment imagery, along with stunts like the self-shredding Girl with Balloon and the Walled Off Hotel.
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