Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Vest
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Vest (2019) is a Union Jack flak jacket: a tactical body-armour vest hand-finished with a distressed, spray-painted British flag and pierced by three bullet holes through its center, originally created by Banksy for the protective vest worn by rapper Stormzy during his headline Glastonbury 2019 performance. It is one of Banksy's most pointed object-works, fusing national symbolism, protest fashion, and the violence the garment is built to stop.
Collector notes: Edition label was not stated, and total quantity was not documented in the saved record. 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 piece collapses patriotism and peril into a single wearable object: the Union Jack, the symbol of British identity, is rendered as armour, then visibly defeated by three bullet holes. Made for Stormzy's 2019 Glastonbury headline set, it landed at a moment of national reckoning over knife and gun crime, Brexit-era questions of British identity, and the visibility of Black British artists on the country's biggest stage. As an object rather than a print, it sits at the intersection of Banksy's protest practice and his later move into functional, real-world goods, turning a stencil-style statement into something that was actually worn in front of millions.
Collector Perspective
This is an object/garment work, not a standard paper edition, so it does not behave like a Pictures on Walls screen print. Edition size and medium are not publicly documented for this listing, which materially affects appraisal: the original vest worn by Stormzy is effectively a unique, headline-grade piece, while any related objects would trade very differently. Banksy's market is highly liquid and globally bid, but object-works are thin, event-driven, and condition- and provenance-sensitive, so pricing is far less standardized than for his catalogued prints.
Historical Context
Banksy created the painted stab-proof / body-armour vest for grime artist Stormzy, who wore it during his headline performance at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2019 — the first time a Black British solo artist headlined the Pyramid Stage. The distressed Union Jack referenced both British identity and the country's debate over violent crime, while the bullet holes seen in this version drive the protest reading home. The work belongs to Banksy's Contemporary-era output and is associated with his Gross Domestic Product moment of object-based, anti-establishment statements rather than his earlier wall and paper work.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print or object
- Release date
- 2019
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Medium and materials were not documented in the saved record.
- Edition details
- Edition label was not stated, and total quantity was not documented in the saved record.
- 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: Banksy created the painted stab-proof / body-armour vest for grime artist Stormzy, who wore it during his headline performance at the Glastonbury Festival in June 2019 — the first time a Black British solo artist headlined the Pyramid Stage. 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 Vest depict?
A tactical body-armour / flak vest hand-finished with a weathered, spray-painted Union Jack flag, with three bullet holes punched through the center of the flag design.
Who wore it and when?
Banksy made a painted Union Jack vest for grime artist Stormzy, who wore it during his headline set at Glastonbury Festival in June 2019.
What is the edition size?
The edition size is not publicly documented for this listing. The original worn at Glastonbury is effectively a unique object; verify exactly which version is being offered before relying on any quoted edition.
Is it signed?
Signing is not documented here.
What medium is it?
The medium is listed as unknown. It is an object/garment work — a body-armour vest with applied paint — rather than a screen print on paper.
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is the anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark humour, and anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment imagery, plus stunts like the self-shredding Girl with Balloon and the Gross Domestic Product homeware line.
