Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Banksquiat (Black)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
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.
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 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. 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.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2019
- 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: 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. 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 2019.
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 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.
