Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
CCCP Lenin On Skates (First Edition)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
CCCP Lenin On Skates depicts Vladimir Lenin, in his trademark dark suit, rendered as a black stencil silhouette gliding on roller skates with arms outstretched for balance, set against a flat grey-taupe ground with the bold white Cyrillic letters "CCCP" (the Soviet Union abbreviation) stamped across the center. An early Banksy screen print from his Bristol period, it captures his signature move of yanking a towering political icon into an absurd, undignified pose to puncture the myth around it.
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 collapses one of the twentieth century's most monumentalized figures into a pratfall: the architect of Soviet communism reduced to a man wobbling along on roller skates. Banksy uses that incongruity to mock both the rigid iconography of state communism and, by extension, the modern reduction of revolutionary ideals to branding and spectacle. The "CCCP" lettering reads less like a state seal than a consumer logo, slyly equating the failed utopia of the Soviet project with the empty promises of capitalist marketing. It is a compact statement of Banksy's anti-establishment instinct, deflating power figures of every stripe rather than swapping one ideology for another.
Collector Perspective
As a 2002 screen print from Banksy's early Bristol years, this is a genuinely early entry in his print catalog, predating the explosion of demand that followed Pictures on Walls' marquee releases. The "First Edition" designation here matters: it distinguishes the original run from later or related printings, and early-period works in good condition draw steady interest from collectors building a chronological survey of his output. Edition size is not documented for this piece, which adds uncertainty around scarcity and complicates direct comparison against the well-catalogued POW signed and unsigned editions. As always, condition, the presence or absence of a signature, and clear provenance documentation are the primary value drivers; buyers should insist on authentication given the volume of unauthorized Banksy material in the market.
Historical Context
Lenin led the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and founded the Soviet state; "CCCP" is the Cyrillic abbreviation for the USSR. By 2002, more than a decade after the Soviet collapse of 1991, that imagery had curdled from threat into nostalgia and kitsch, the hammer-and-sickle reborn as ironic t-shirt fodder. Banksy, working out of Bristol in the era just before his international breakout, seized on exactly that cultural afterlife, treating a fallen superpower's iconography as raw material for satire. The roller skates place Lenin in a register of slapstick vulnerability that would recur throughout Banksy's treatment of authority figures, from monarchs to police.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2002
- 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: Lenin led the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution and founded the Soviet state; "CCCP" is the Cyrillic abbreviation for the USSR. 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 2002.
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 Banksy print depict?
It shows Vladimir Lenin, the founder of the Soviet state, rendered as a black stencil silhouette in a suit, roller-skating with his arms out for balance. The Cyrillic letters CCCP (the abbreviation for the USSR) are printed in bold white across the center, against a flat grey-taupe background.
What is the edition size?
The edition size for this work is not documented. Without a recorded run number, scarcity cannot be stated precisely, and buyers should rely on condition, any signature, and provenance rather than an assumed edition figure.
Is it signed?
The title does not specify a signed or artist proof status. Banksy prints exist in both signed and unsigned forms, and signed examples command a significant premium. Confirm signature status and authentication directly with the seller before purchase.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print (silkscreen), produced in 2002 during Banksy's early Bristol period.
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 humor, and anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment messaging, with many prints published through Pictures on Walls.
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