Summary
"Clock" is a working steel-rimmed wall clock whose white face is taken over by a single ink-brushed black rat, painted in Banksy's loose sumi-e style, scrambling and twisting across the dial as the hands sweep past a small orange center pivot. Produced for Banksy's 2019 Gross Domestic Product project, it turns the artist's signature rat motif into a literal household object — the rat "running" against time on the surface that measures it.
Why It Matters
Clock sits at the center of Banksy's most pointed assault on the commodification of his own work. Gross Domestic Product was conceived as a mock homewares brand after a greeting-card company tried to seize his trademark; rather than sell paintings, Banksy mass-produced functional objects to assert authorship through use rather than gallery sale. The rat — Banksy's career-long stand-in for the overlooked urban underclass and an anagram of "art" — is here forced into the most domestic form imaginable, a clock that keeps actual time. The piece compresses his anti-capitalist argument into a single sardonic image: the rat racing endlessly around a face that quantifies labor and value, a literal rendering of the "rat race."
Collector Perspective
As a Gross Domestic Product homeware rather than a Pictures on Walls paper edition, Clock was distributed through the project's deliberately anti-collector lottery model, where buyers had to answer "Why does art matter?" to qualify and prices were kept low by design. Edition size is small at 45, and these objects are typically unsigned, so authentication leans heavily on original GDP packaging, receipts, and any accompanying certification rather than a pencil signature. Functional GDP objects occupy an unusual niche: they are scarcer than the headline screenprints but trade in a thinner, more specialist segment of the market, so condition (the steel rim, intact movement, undamaged dial) and complete provenance materially drive value. Buyers should treat any "signed" claim with caution and verify the GDP chain of custody.
Historical Context
Gross Domestic Product launched in late 2019 as a "homewares brand" with a non-shop window display in Croydon, South London, created in response to a legal dispute over Banksy's trademark; the artist openly stated he was making products partly to defend his name. The range mixed provocative objects with deadpan domestic goods, and Clock belongs to the latter category — a usable household item carrying a subversive image. The rat had by 2019 been a Banksy fixture for nearly two decades, appearing in street stencils and prints worldwide, making its appearance on a literal clock a knowing late-career restatement of one of his founding motifs within the Contemporary era.
FAQ
What does this Banksy Clock depict?
It is a working steel-rimmed wall clock whose white dial features a single black ink-brushed rat, rendered in a loose sumi-e style, scrambling across the face while the hands turn around a small orange center pivot.
How many were made?
The edition size is 45, making it a small and scarce run within Banksy's output.
Is it signed?
As a Gross Domestic Product homeware, it is typically unsigned. Authentication relies on original GDP packaging, receipts, and provenance rather than a pencil signature, so any 'signed' claim should be verified carefully.
What medium is it?
It is a screen-printed image on a functional steel and glass wall clock — an object from the Gross Domestic Product range rather than a paper print.
What is Gross Domestic Product?
It was Banksy's 2019 mock homewares brand, launched via a non-shop window in Croydon, London, partly as a response to a trademark dispute; it sold functional objects through a lottery rather than a conventional gallery.
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, anti-capitalist imagery including his recurring rat motif.
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.