Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
CND Soldiers (Unsigned)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
CND Soldiers depicts two stencilled combat soldiers in full battle gear, painting a large blood-red CND peace symbol that drips down the sheet above them, while a discarded paint can sits between them. It is one of Banksy's most pointed anti-war images, turning the instruments of war toward the universal peace emblem and inverting the soldier's role from aggressor to protester.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 70. 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 distills Banksy's anti-war politics into a single ironic gesture: helmeted, rifle-carrying soldiers caught in the act of vandalising a wall with the peace sign, the most recognisable symbol of the anti-nuclear and pacifist movements. The dripping red of the CND mark reads simultaneously as fresh paint and as blood, collapsing the line between protest graffiti and the violence soldiers are sent to carry out. Produced in 2005 against the backdrop of the ongoing Iraq War, it captures Banksy at the height of his stencil practice using deadpan visual contradiction rather than slogan to make its point.
Collector Perspective
This is the unsigned edition of CND Soldiers, from a screen print run of 70, published in 2005 through Pictures on Walls. Unsigned examples carry POW provenance and the edition stamp but lack Banksy's hand signature, which places them well below the signed edition (itself issued in a larger run) in value while still being a genuinely scarce, low-number release. As a recognisable anti-war image with strong wall presence, it has steady demand among Banksy collectors, though condition is critical: the cream paper shows handling, foxing, and light-toning readily.
Historical Context
CND Soldiers references the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament symbol designed by Gerald Holtom in 1958, which became the global peace sign. Banksy issued the print in 2005, during the height of public protest over the Iraq War and the broader War on Terror, a period when much of his output turned explicitly anti-militarist. It sits squarely within his Stencil Boom era, when fast spray-stencil imagery and the Pictures on Walls publishing operation were putting his work into wide circulation. The image of soldiers painting peace, rather than waging war, became one of the signature ironies of this phase of his career.
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 70.
- 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: CND Soldiers references the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament symbol designed by Gerald Holtom in 1958, which became the global peace sign. 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 CND Soldiers depict?
Two combat soldiers in helmets and full kit are shown painting a large red CND peace symbol on a wall, the paint dripping down the sheet, with a paint can on the ground between them. The soldiers are cast as protesters rather than fighters.
What is the edition size?
This print is from an edition of 70.
Is this print signed?
No. This is the unsigned edition. It carries the Pictures on Walls edition stamp but does not bear Banksy's hand signature, which makes it more affordable and more scarce-numbered than the larger signed edition.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print, made in 2005, in Banksy's spray-stencil-derived style.
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, with many prints published through Pictures on Walls.
