Summary
Banksquiat (Black) renders a monochrome Ferris wheel set against a deep black ground, its passenger cars replaced by Jean-Michel Basquiat's signature three-pointed crown, with two small figures and a low picket fence at the base of the ride. The print fuses Banksy's stencil idiom with a direct homage to Basquiat, extending a motif Banksy first deployed in his 2017 Barbican street murals into a collectible edition.
Why It Matters
The image is a rare instance of Banksy paying explicit tribute to another artist, lifting Basquiat's crown — the symbol the Brooklyn painter used to anoint Black heroes and himself — and mounting it on a fairground wheel. Originating from the murals Banksy stencilled outside London's Barbican in 2017 to coincide with its Basquiat retrospective "Boom for Real," the work carries a pointed institutional critique: Banksy noted the irony of a museum celebrating an artist it would once have had removed as a vandal. As a meditation on which artists get canonized and which get policed, it sits squarely within Banksy's interrogation of authority and cultural gatekeeping.
Collector Perspective
Banksquiat (Black) was released in an edition of only 70 screen prints, a deliberately small run that places it among the scarcer authorized Banksy editions and well below the artist's larger 150-to-750-print issues. Provenance and a Pest Control certificate are decisive for this title, and signed examples command a substantial premium over unsigned. There is also a companion grey colorway, so buyers should confirm exactly which version and signature status they are acquiring. With a low edition count and a recognizable cross-artist concept, it holds a solid position in the secondary market, though as a later (2019) release it lacks the deep track record of Banksy's 2000s POW classics.
Historical Context
The print descends from Banksy's September 2017 Barbican Centre murals in London, painted to coincide with the gallery's major Basquiat exhibition "Basquiat: Boom for Real." One mural showed a queue waiting beneath a Basquiat-style figure being frisked by police; the Ferris wheel composition adapts the crown motif central to Basquiat's 1980s painting. Issued as an edition in 2019, the work belongs to the Contemporary Era and to Banksy's ongoing practice of converting site-specific street statements into circulated prints.
FAQ
What does Banksquiat (Black) depict?
A white stencilled Ferris wheel on a black background, with each of the wheel's passenger cars replaced by Jean-Michel Basquiat's three-pointed crown. Two small figures and a picket fence sit at the base of the ride.
Why does it reference Basquiat?
It is Banksy's homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat, derived from murals Banksy painted outside London's Barbican in 2017 during the Basquiat exhibition Boom for Real. The crown is Basquiat's best-known signature symbol.
How large is the edition?
The edition is 70 screen prints, making it one of the scarcer authorized Banksy print releases. A separate grey colorway also exists.
What medium is it?
It is a hand-pulled screen print, produced in 2019.
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, as well as stunts such as the self-shredding Girl with Balloon.
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.