Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Grannies (Unsigned (POW Version))
Work Summary & Collector Notes
"Grannies" depicts two elderly women in armchairs calmly knitting jumpers bearing punk and gangster slogans -- "PUNKS NOT DEAD" and "THUG FOR LIFE" -- separated by a tea table with a lamp and framed photo, the whole scene rendered in Banksy's signature black stencil over a flat pink ground. The gentle domestic tableau with subversive text is a hallmark of Banksy's juxtaposition humour, turning rebel culture into something a grandmother might knit by the fireside.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 56. 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
"Grannies" distills Banksy's central method: taking icons of countercultural defiance and recontextualising them in the most disarming, ordinary setting imaginable. By placing "Punks Not Dead" and "Thug For Life" -- slogans of rebellion and street menace -- into the hands of two sweet, knitting pensioners, Banksy both mocks and humanises rebel posturing, suggesting that today's outlaws are tomorrow's old folks and that subculture is ultimately absorbed by the everyday. It is one of the artist's wittiest commentaries on age, domesticity and the commodification of rebellion, and its warmth makes it among the most broadly likeable images in his print catalogue.
Collector Perspective
This is the unsigned Pictures on Walls (POW) edition of "Grannies," limited to just 56 examples -- a notably small run that places it among the scarcer Banksy screenprints despite its unsigned status. Unsigned POW prints trade at a meaningful discount to their hand-signed counterparts, but the genuine POW provenance and tiny edition keep demand firm. The small edition size means supply to market is thin, so well-kept examples surface infrequently.
Historical Context
Produced in 2006 through Pictures on Walls, Banksy's own print publisher, "Grannies" belongs to the Stencil Boom Era when the artist's profile was rising sharply off the back of street works and the 2005 "Crude Oils" show. The image plays on British punk heritage -- "Punks Not Dead" echoes the 1981 Exploited album of the same name -- and on hip-hop's "Thug Life," collapsing two generations of rebel iconography into a single front-room scene. It sits within Banksy's broader Protest & Subversion vein, where authority, conformity and counterculture are all held up to the same deadpan scrutiny.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2006
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Screen Print.
- Edition details
- Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 56.
- 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: Read as documented context rather than stated intent: Produced in 2006 through Pictures on Walls, Banksy's own print publisher, "Grannies" belongs to the Stencil Boom Era when the artist's profile was rising sharply off the back of street works and the 2005 "Crude Oils" show. This is an interpretive reading of the release context, not a statement of the artist's intent for this specific work. This interpretive note follows the cited artist or publisher context.
Release context: The saved catalog lists 2006.
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 the Grannies print depict?
Two elderly women sit in armchairs knitting jumpers that read 'PUNKS NOT DEAD' and 'THUG FOR LIFE,' with a small tea table, lamp and framed photo between them, all in black stencil on a pink background.
How large is the edition?
This Pictures on Walls (POW) edition is limited to 56 examples, making it one of the smaller Banksy print editions.
Is this print signed or unsigned?
This is the unsigned POW version. It carries genuine Pictures on Walls provenance but is not hand-signed by the artist, which distinguishes it from the rarer signed edition.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print (screenprint), the technique Banksy used for most of his Pictures on Walls editions.
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark humour and anti-establishment imagery, with many prints published through Pictures on Walls.
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