Summary
NOLA depicts a young girl in a black dress and Mary Jane shoes sheltering beneath a large black umbrella, one hand outstretched palm-up to catch the weather, while colored "rain" drips down inside the umbrella rather than outside it. In this Artist Proof, the spray-applied drips run from hot pink at top to acid yellow below, against Banksy's signature grey ground. The composition is one of Banksy's most enduring print images and a direct response to Hurricane Katrina's flooding of New Orleans.
Why It Matters
NOLA turns one of Banksy's recurring tropes, a child confronting an inverted or absurd reality, into a pointed piece of disaster commentary: the umbrella, the universal symbol of protection, fails the girl entirely, the storm finding her even where she should be safe. Made after Banksy's 2008 visit to New Orleans, where he painted murals around the city on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the print indicts the institutional abandonment and failed levees that turned a natural disaster into a man-made one. The color-rain device, hand-sprayed so that no two impressions are identical, makes each sheet a unique object within an edition and is a hallmark of why the NOLA series is so prized.
Collector Perspective
NOLA was issued by Pictures on Walls (POW) in several variants: a larger signed edition, a smaller unsigned edition, and color/AP variants such as this one. This is an Artist Proof in the Pink-to-Yellow colorway from an edition of 76, the AP designation and the hand-sprayed, non-repeating drips making each sheet effectively one-of-one within the run. AP status and the distinctive colorway place it above the standard grey-rain impressions in desirability, and POW provenance with a Pest Control certificate is essential to value and resale. As with all Banksy prints, condition, full margins, and documentation drive price; buyers should confirm Pest Control authentication before purchase.
Historical Context
The title NOLA is shorthand for New Orleans, Louisiana. In 2008 Banksy traveled to the city for the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina (2005), stenciling a series of murals on storm-damaged and abandoned buildings that referenced the flooding and the slow, inadequate official response. This 2009 POW screen print distilled that body of street work into an editioned image, the girl unable to escape rain that falls even under her umbrella standing as a metaphor for a catastrophe that authorities failed to keep out. It sits squarely in Banksy's Art-World Era, when his street interventions were increasingly translated into collectible prints.
FAQ
What does NOLA depict?
A young girl in a black dress holding a large black umbrella with one hand outstretched, while colored rain drips down inside the umbrella instead of outside it, here running from pink at the top to yellow below on a grey ground.
What does NOLA refer to?
NOLA is shorthand for New Orleans, Louisiana. The image responds to Hurricane Katrina and the failed response that flooded the city, following Banksy's 2008 mural project there.
What is the edition size of this print?
This Pink-to-Yellow Artist Proof comes from an edition of 76. As an AP with hand-sprayed, non-repeating drips, each sheet is effectively unique within the run.
Is this print signed?
This is an Artist Proof (AP) variant. NOLA was released by Pictures on Walls in both signed and unsigned forms; buyers should confirm the exact signature status and Pest Control authentication for any specific sheet.
What medium is it and who is Banksy?
It is a screen print with hand-sprayed color elements, published in 2009 by Pictures on Walls. 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-establishment imagery.
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.