Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Have A Nice Day (Signed - Artist Proof)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
"Have A Nice Day" is a 2005 Banksy screen print showing a single armoured military tank, antenna raised, centred between two symmetrical rows of black-clad riot police in helmets and visors, all standing rigidly to attention. Beneath this menacing display of state force runs the cheerfully ironic caption "Have a nice day," a hallmark of Banksy's deadpan, anti-war wit. This Artist Proof from an edition of 32 sits among his sharper, more overtly militarised images of the Stencil Boom era.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 32. 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 distils Banksy's anti-war and anti-authoritarian politics into a single jarring contrast: overwhelming military and police machinery set against a banal greeting-card slogan. By weaponising the language of customer-service pleasantry, Banksy underscores the way official violence is normalised and packaged as routine, an idea that resonated strongly during the mid-2000s amid the Iraq War and heightened anxieties about state power, surveillance, and policing of protest. It is a clear example of how he uses humour and familiar pop phrasing as a delivery system for serious political critique.
Collector Perspective
As a signed Artist Proof from an edition of only 32, this is a notably scarce variant within Banksy's printed output, sitting well outside the larger signed and unsigned regular editions that dominate the market. AP designation and the artist's signature both add a premium over standard examples, and provenance tied to Pictures on Walls (Banksy's print publisher of the era) supports authentication and confidence at resale.
Historical Context
Produced in 2005, during what is often called Banksy's Stencil Boom era, the image belongs to a run of works in which he turned his stencil technique toward militarism and policing. The tank-and-riot-police composition references the visual language of state crowd control and armed force that was prominent in news coverage of the period, including the ongoing Iraq War and contemporaneous debates over protest, security, and authority. Many Banksy prints of this moment were issued through Pictures on Walls, the London outfit that handled his editioned screen prints.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2005
- 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 32.
- 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: Produced in 2005, during what is often called Banksy's Stencil Boom era, the image belongs to a run of works in which he turned his stencil technique toward militarism and policing. 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 2005.
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 single military tank with its antenna raised, centred between two symmetrical rows of black-clad riot police standing at attention, with the ironic caption 'Have a nice day' printed below.
Is this print signed or unsigned?
This is a signed example, designated as an Artist Proof (AP).
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 32, making this a particularly scarce Banksy print, and AP examples sit outside the numbered run.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print, produced in 2005.
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-war, anti-establishment imagery, with editioned prints published through Pictures on Walls.
