Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Kate (Gold, Apricot)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
A Warhol-styled Pop portrait of supermodel Kate Moss rendered as a Marilyn-esque icon: lilac-toned face, orange-blonde tousled hair, turquoise eyeshadow and red lips set against a flat gold/khaki ground. Part of Banksy's "Kate Moss" series, it is one of his most overtly Pop, celebrity-driven images and a deliberate riff on Warhol's 1967 "Marilyn."
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
"Kate" is Banksy's most direct engagement with Andy Warhol and the machinery of celebrity. By dropping Kate Moss into Warhol's exact Marilyn template, Banksy collapses two eras of fame manufacture and comments on how the media reproduces and consumes a face until the person disappears into branding. It sits slightly apart from his rats-and-riot-police political work, showing his fluency in art-historical appropriation and his willingness to mine Pop Art's own critique of mass image-making. The series remains one of the defining "screen-print celebrity" works of the mid-2000s street-art-to-gallery crossover.
Collector Perspective
This is the gold/apricot colourway from the screen-printed "Kate" series, in an edition of 70 from 2005. The smaller, hand-pulled colour variants like this one are scarcer than the larger standard "Kate Moss" runs and trade at a premium when signed. Provenance and condition drive value: signed examples with intact margins and no light-staining command the strongest prices, while the gold ground can show handling marks readily. A recognisable, wall-friendly image that holds steady collector demand rather than relying on novelty.
Historical Context
Made in 2005, during Banksy's Stencil Boom Era when he was transitioning from street walls to a booming print market (many editions issued via Pictures on Walls). Kate Moss was then one of the most photographed and most scrutinised figures in British media, making her an apt stand-in for the Warhol celebrity machine. The work explicitly references Andy Warhol's 1967 "Marilyn Monroe" silkscreens, transplanting the supermodel into the same garish, repeatable Pop format to comment on fame as a manufactured, reproducible commodity.
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: Made in 2005, during Banksy's Stencil Boom Era when he was transitioning from street walls to a booming print market (many editions issued via Pictures on Walls). 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?
It shows supermodel Kate Moss as a Warhol-style Pop icon — lilac face, orange-blonde hair, turquoise eyeshadow and red lips on a flat gold/apricot background — directly echoing Andy Warhol's 1967 Marilyn Monroe silkscreens.
What is the edition size?
This gold/apricot colourway was produced in an edition of 70 in 2005.
What medium is it?
It is a hand-pulled screen print (silkscreen) on paper.
Is it signed?
The series exists in both signed and unsigned forms; signed examples are scarcer and command a premium. Confirm signature and any accompanying authentication before purchase.
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-establishment imagery, with many editions published via Pictures on Walls.
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