Summary
A stencilled monochrome boy in a baseball cap and tracksuit kneels in prayer, hands clasped and eyes closed, beneath a dripping yellow spray-painted halo, with an open paint can and brush dripping the same yellow at his feet and the words "Forgive us our trespassing" below. The image puns on the Lord's Prayer line "trespasses," recasting the act of graffiti as both sin and sacrament and placing the young writer in the posture of penitent saint.
Why It Matters
The print compresses Banksy's central tension between vandalism and devotion into a single figure: a child criminalised for spray-painting walls, depicted with the iconography of a haloed saint. The wordplay on "trespasses/trespassing" turns a religious plea for forgiveness into a defence of street art itself, framing graffiti writers as transgressors seeking absolution from a society that treats their work as a crime. The dripping halo, painted in the same yellow that pools in the can below, makes the point literal — the boy's sanctity is something he sprayed himself, a self-anointed grace rather than one granted from above.
Collector Perspective
Forgive Us Our Trespassing is an offset print from 2010 with an undocumented edition size, and as offered here it is a first edition rather than a hand-signed or numbered screenprint. It sits in the more accessible tier of Banksy collecting: unsigned offset works on paper carry a fraction of the value of signed Pictures on Walls screenprints and depend heavily on condition, with visible fold lines (as seen here) and paper handling affecting price. Without Pest Control authentication or a signature it functions as a decorative and entry-level collectible rather than a blue-chip asset, but the strong, legible image and recognisable praying-boy motif keep steady buyer demand.
Historical Context
By 2010 Banksy had moved firmly into the art-world spotlight — the year his film Exit Through the Gift Shop premiered and his market profile surged. The praying-boy image belongs to his long-running engagement with religious iconography and the moral framing of graffiti, themes he had explored across stencils that cast street artists as both criminals and unlikely saints. The title's pun on the Lord's Prayer ties a centuries-old line of Christian liturgy to the contemporary politics of public-space ownership, a recurring concern in his protest and subversion work.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A young boy in a baseball cap and tracksuit kneeling in prayer with clasped hands, beneath a dripping yellow halo spray-painted above his head, with an open paint can and brush at his feet and the caption "Forgive us our trespassing" below.
What is the title referencing?
It puns on the Lord's Prayer line "forgive us our trespasses," reframing graffiti — literal trespassing — as a sin in need of forgiveness and casting the young writer as a penitent saint.
Is this print signed or numbered?
This is offered as a first edition offset print and is unsigned; the edition size is not formally documented. Signed and numbered Banksy works command substantially higher prices than unsigned editions like this one.
What medium and year is it?
It is an offset print produced in 2010, during the period when Banksy's public and market profile was rising sharply.
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 messages, with recurring motifs including rats, riot police, and children.
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.