Summary
A high-contrast stencil rendering of a real-life assassination scene: a group of plainclothes and uniformed men crowd over a fallen figure on a pavement, blood pooling in spray-painted red beneath an outstretched hand, while the slogan "I FOUGHT THE LAW AND I WO..." bleeds in dripping crimson capitals across the top. This 2005 Banksy screen print fuses crime-scene press imagery with the Bobby Fuller / Clash anthem to invert the song's "the law won" punchline into something ambiguous and subversive. The "Uncut AP" designates an artist-proof printed full-bleed without the standard white margin border.
Why It Matters
"I Fought The Law" is one of Banksy's sharpest statements on protest, power and martyrdom. By staging an apparent shooting of a "lawbreaker" by figures who read as authorities or assassins, and cutting off the famous lyric mid-word, Banksy refuses the song's resolution that the law always wins — leaving open whether resistance triumphs or is simply crushed. The black-and-white documentary look, broken only by violent red text and a smear of blood, is classic mid-2000s Banksy: appropriated mass-media imagery weaponized with a single ironic caption. It sits squarely within his anti-establishment, anti-authority body of work from the height of his stencil period.
Collector Perspective
This is the Artist Proof, full-bleed "Uncut" variant, distinct from the standard signed and unsigned editions of "I Fought The Law." AP and uncut/full-bleed examples are scarcer than the main numbered run and carry a premium when accompanied by Pictures on Walls (POW) provenance and, ideally, a Pest Control certificate — buyers should confirm authentication, as this title has been faked. As an iconic, instantly readable image from a marquee year (2005), demand is consistent; condition matters because the heavy black ink shows handling and the full-bleed format has no margin to absorb edge wear. Realistic positioning: a desirable proof variant of a well-known image rather than a top-tier rarity like the signed colour prints.
Historical Context
Produced in 2005, during Banksy's most prolific stencil-boom years and the period that produced his POW print catalogue, the work takes its title and lyric from "I Fought the Law," written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets, a hit for the Bobby Fuller Four (1966) and famously covered by The Clash (1979). Banksy pairs that defiant refrain with imagery evoking a public killing — the kind of grainy crime or assassination photograph circulated by news media — to comment on how the state, or those acting in its name, deal with dissent. The cut-off "I WO..." deliberately strands the viewer's expectation that "the law won."
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A monochrome stencil scene of several men in plain clothes and uniform grabbing a fallen figure on the ground, with a pool of red blood by an outstretched hand, beneath dripping red text reading 'I FOUGHT THE LAW AND I WO...'. It evokes a press photograph of a public shooting or assassination.
Is this print signed?
This is the 'Uncut AP' — an Artist Proof, printed full-bleed without the standard white border. AP impressions sit outside the numbered edition; confirm signing and any Pest Control authentication with the specific example offered.
What is the edition size?
The edition is recorded as 100 for this configuration. Note that Banksy also issued standard signed and unsigned versions of 'I Fought The Law' in separate, larger runs; APs and full-bleed 'uncut' impressions are scarcer than the main edition.
What is the medium?
Screen print (silkscreen) on paper, the technique Banksy used for his Pictures on Walls (POW) print releases.
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 humour and anti-war, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment imagery, with prints published through Pictures on Walls.
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.