Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Monkey Queen (Unsigned)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Monkey Queen depicts Queen Elizabeth II as a chimpanzee, her simian face crowned and adorned with the British monarch's diadem, pearl necklace and earrings, set against a Royal Air Force roundel of concentric blue, white and red circles. Rendered in Banksy's signature stencil technique, it fuses two of his core preoccupations — primates and the monarchy — into one of his most recognizable assaults on British establishment iconography.
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 is a direct provocation aimed at the symbolic heart of the British state: the sovereign. By swapping the Queen's face for a chimpanzee while retaining the full regalia of monarchy and framing it on the patriotic RAF target, Banksy reduces inherited power and national pride to something animal and absurd, a typical street-artist jab at deference and tradition. It belongs to his early-2000s monkey series, in which apes stand in for the powerful and the powerless alike, and remains one of the clearest visual statements of his anti-establishment, anti-monarchy stance. The roundel motif also nods to Mod and British pop culture, giving the image a graphic punch beyond its political bite.
Collector Perspective
Monkey Queen exists in both a signed and an unsigned edition; this is the unsigned version, which trades at a meaningful discount to its signed counterpart and sits lower in the demand hierarchy that governs Banksy values. It is a desirable, instantly legible image that performs reliably when correctly authenticated, but the unsigned status and uncertain edition particulars place it as an accessible entry point rather than a blue-chip centerpiece. Condition — sun-fading of the red, handling creases, trimmed margins — materially affects price.
Historical Context
Produced in 2003, the work dates to Banksy's Stencil Boom Era, the period when his street stencils were translating into a collectible print practice through Pictures on Walls and his profile was rising sharply in the UK. It draws on a long English satirical tradition of caricaturing the monarch, here aimed at Queen Elizabeth II, and arrived in the years surrounding her 2002 Golden Jubilee, when royal imagery was especially prominent in British public life. The RAF roundel ties the piece to a broader wartime and nationalist visual vocabulary Banksy was repeatedly subverting in the early 2000s.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2003
- 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 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: Produced in 2003, the work dates to Banksy's Stencil Boom Era, the period when his street stencils were translating into a collectible print practice through Pictures on Walls and his profile was rising sharply in the UK. 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 2003.
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 Monkey Queen depict?
It portrays Queen Elizabeth II with the face of a chimpanzee, wearing the crown, pearl necklace and earrings of the British monarch, set against a red, white and blue Royal Air Force roundel.
Is this print signed or unsigned?
This is the unsigned edition. Banksy also issued a signed version of Monkey Queen; the unsigned variant typically sells for less and is considered the more accessible of the two.
What is the edition size?
The exact edition size for this unsigned release is not confirmed here.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print, made in 2003 using Banksy's stencil-derived graphic approach and published in the Pictures on Walls era.
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-capitalist and anti-establishment imagery.
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