Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Toxic Mary (Gold & Pink Artist Proof)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Toxic Mary is Banksy's stencil reworking of the classic Madonna-and-Child, here in a Gold & Pink Artist Proof colorway: a haloed Virgin in gold and white, rendered with heavy paint drips against a hot-pink ground, cradles the infant while feeding him from a red bottle marked with a skull-and-crossbones poison label. It twists a sacred icon of nurture into an image of harm, a hallmark of Banksy's habit of hijacking familiar imagery to deliver a darker message.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 70. 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 print weaponizes one of Western art's most reproduced and trusted images, the nursing Madonna, by replacing maternal nourishment with a clearly labeled toxin. It is a compact piece of subversion: the figures meant to embody protection and innocence become a vehicle for poison, reading as an indictment of the institutions, media, or systems that feed the young something harmful while wearing the costume of care. The drip-heavy stencil and crude red label keep the street-art rawness intact even as the composition borrows the gravity of Renaissance religious painting, letting Banksy stage a clash between the sacred and the toxic that is provocative without being preachy.
Collector Perspective
This is an Artist Proof from a screen-print edition of 70, in the Gold & Pink colorway, which sits outside the standard numbered run and is generally scarcer than the main edition. Condition is critical given the heavy ink drips and light backgrounds, which show handling and toning readily. Buyers should confirm whether this specific impression is signed or unsigned and insist on documentation, as the Banksy market is liquid but heavily policed for authenticity.
Historical Context
Toxic Mary dates to 2007, squarely in Banksy's Art-World Era, the stretch when his gallery and auction profile surged following the 2006 Los Angeles "Barely Legal" show and rising sale prices. The image belongs to a body of work in which Banksy appropriates canonical religious and art-historical imagery, the Madonna and Child here, to make pointed contemporary statements; the year 2007 also saw record auction results that cemented his crossover from street walls to the collector market. The Gold & Pink Artist Proof is one of the special-color variants tied to the screen-print release, produced in parallel with the standard edition.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2007
- 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 70.
- 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: Toxic Mary dates to 2007, squarely in Banksy's Art-World Era, the stretch when his gallery and auction profile surged following the 2006 Los Angeles "Barely Legal" show and rising sale prices. 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 2007.
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 Toxic Mary depict?
It reworks the traditional Madonna and Child: a haloed Virgin in gold and white, against a hot-pink background with heavy paint drips, cradles the infant and feeds him from a red bottle marked with a skull-and-crossbones poison label, turning an image of nurture into one of harm.
What is the edition size?
The screen-print edition size is 70. This particular impression is an Artist Proof (AP), which falls outside the standard numbered run and is typically scarcer.
Is this print signed or unsigned?
This is described as an Artist Proof; AP impressions exist in both signed and unsigned forms, so a buyer should confirm the specific impression and request authentication before purchase.
What medium and colorway is this?
It is a screen print in the Gold & Pink colorway, with the Madonna rendered in gold and white and the figures set against a hot-pink ground.
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 humor, and anti-establishment messages, with many prints published through Pictures on Walls.
Related Banksy Works
