Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Gangsta Rat (Green Artist Proof)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Gangsta Rat (Green Artist Proof) depicts one of Banksy's signature black-stencil rats restyled as a hip-hop gangster — cocked fedora, heavy gold-style chain around its neck, and a flick of attitude in its paw — standing beside an old-school boombox, beneath a dripping green spray-paint "POW" tag. It belongs to Banksy's most iconic motif, the rat, which he has called his alter-ego: the overlooked vermin of the city repositioned as a streetwise anti-hero.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 50. 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 rat is the central recurring character of Banksy's body of work, a deliberate avatar for the graffiti writer himself — small, despised, ubiquitous, and impossible to exterminate. By dressing the rat in hip-hop iconography (chain, fedora, boombox) and crowning it with a hand-thrown "POW" tag, Banksy fuses two strands of street culture: rebel graffiti and rebel music, both born from the margins and both treated as criminal nuisance. The piece reads as a sly self-portrait of the outsider artist claiming the city's walls, and the loose dripping spray work over the crisp stencil makes the street-to-print translation visible on the sheet itself.
Collector Perspective
Gangsta Rat is a desirable early-2000s rat image, and this is the green colourway issued as an Artist Proof — a tier outside the main numbered run that collectors prize for its smaller count and "AP" designation. The pencil signature and AP notation lower left mark it as a signed proof, the most sought configuration; signed Banksy rats command a clear premium over unsigned screen prints. With a stated edition of 50 plus the limited AP allotment, supply is genuinely tight, and Banksy's rat imagery enjoys deep, liquid demand.
Historical Context
Produced in 2005, Gangsta Rat sits at the height of what is often called Banksy's Stencil Boom Era — the period when his Bristol-bred stencil rats migrated from city walls onto editioned screen prints, many distributed through the artist-led Pictures on Walls (POW) imprint. The rat lineage runs back to French stencil pioneer Blek le Rat, whom Banksy has openly credited, and through the 2000s the rat became his most repeated and varied character — burglar rats, anarchist rats, placard rats. The gangster styling here ties the motif to the era's hip-hop and graffiti crossover, casting the rat as the ultimate street tagger.
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 50.
- 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, Gangsta Rat sits at the height of what is often called Banksy's Stencil Boom Era — the period when his Bristol-bred stencil rats migrated from city walls onto editioned screen prints, many distributed through the artist-led Pictures on Walls (POW) imprint. 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 black-stencil rat dressed as a hip-hop gangster — wearing a tilted fedora and a thick chain necklace, posed beside an old-school boombox — under a dripping green spray-paint 'POW' tag. The rat is Banksy's signature alter-ego motif.
What is the edition size?
The main edition is 50. This particular example is a separate Artist Proof (AP) from the green colourway, a smaller allotment issued alongside the numbered run.
Is this print signed?
Yes. As an Artist Proof it is hand-signed by Banksy in pencil and carries the AP notation in the lower left, making it a signed proof rather than an unsigned edition.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print (silkscreen) on paper, the format Banksy used to translate his wall stencils into limited editions.
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is the anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark political humour, and recurring motifs like rats, monkeys, riot police, and children with balloons. Many of his prints were published through Pictures on Walls.
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