Summary
Paint Pot Angel (First Edition) reproduces Banksy's altered statue: a classical weathered stone cemetery angel, wings spread and head bowed, standing on a plinth — but its head is buried inside an inverted hot-pink paint pot, with vivid pink paint dripping down the figure and pooling along the base. The image documents Banksy's defaced-monument sculpture from his 2009 Bristol Museum takeover, translated into a print as part of his ongoing assault on the dignity of public statuary and the conventions of "high" art.
Why It Matters
The work captures one of Banksy's most pointed gestures: taking the most reverent of objects — a memorial angel — and literally tipping a tin of paint over its head, collapsing the sacred into the absurd. It crystallizes his anti-establishment, anti-pomp stance, mocking the solemnity of monuments and museum culture while the lurid pink runs read both as vandalism and as a wound. As a record of his sculptural and museum-intervention practice (most famously Banksy versus Bristol Museum), it ties together his street-vandalism roots and his institutional satire, themes squarely in the Protest and Subversion register.
Collector Perspective
This is a 2018 screen print after the well-known Paint Pot Angel statue, and as a "First Edition" it sits among the more accessible printed records of that sculpture rather than the unique object itself. Edition size is not confirmed here, and that detail materially affects value — buyers should verify the total run, whether the impression is signed or unsigned, and any numbering before paying a premium. Provenance documentation (gallery paperwork, and ideally Pest Control authentication for any Banksy resale) is the key driver; unsigned or open-style printings trade well below hand-signed, numbered Banksy editions. Banksy's name carries strong, liquid demand across the board, but pricing on this specific title should be benchmarked against confirmed comparable sales rather than the artist's headline records.
Historical Context
The source sculpture debuted in Banksy versus Bristol Museum (summer 2009), a self-funded, largely secret takeover of the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery that drew enormous crowds and inserted his subversive works among the institution's permanent collection. Paint Pot Angel — a stone angel with its head swallowed by an overturned tin of pink paint — became one of the show's signature pieces, a joke about defacement aimed at the very kind of statuary museums enshrine. This 2018 print revisits that 2009 contemporary-era intervention, keeping the image in circulation a decade after the exhibition that made it famous.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A classical stone angel statue on a plinth with its head buried inside an upturned hot-pink paint pot, bright pink paint dripping down the figure and base — Banksy's defaced-monument sculpture from his 2009 Bristol Museum show, reproduced as a screen print.
What is the edition size?
The edition size is not confirmed in our records. Buyers should verify the total run and any numbering directly from accompanying paperwork before purchase.
Is this print signed or unsigned?
Signature status is not specified for this First Edition. Confirm whether a given impression is hand-signed or unsigned, as that significantly affects value for Banksy prints.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, dated 2018, reproducing the Paint Pot Angel sculpture.
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 humour, and anti-war, anti-capitalist, and anti-establishment imagery, as well as high-profile stunts and museum interventions.
About the Artist
Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose identity remains officially unconfirmed. Emerging from the Bristol underground scene in the early 1990s, he developed a fast, stencil-based technique for working in public space, pairing dark humour with anti-war, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment messages. Recurring motifs include rats, monkeys, riot police, and children with balloons or weapons. Many of his prints were published through Pictures on Walls and rank among the most heavily traded in the secondary market, while stunts such as the self-shredding Girl with Balloon, the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and the Gross Domestic Product homeware line have made him one of the most recognised artists in the world.
Collecting Banksy at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic Banksy prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of Banksy prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new Banksy prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across Banksy and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.