Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Forgive Us Our Trespassing (First Edition)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
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.
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 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.
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.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned print
- Release date
- 2010
- Release-date note
- Catalog-listed release year from the saved secondary record; primary release-page confirmation remains pending.
- Medium and materials
- Offset.
- 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: 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. 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 2010.
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 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.
