Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Grin Reaper (First Edition)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Grin Reaper depicts Banksy's Grim Reaper as a hooded, scythe-wielding skeletal figure cloaked in black, its face replaced by a beaming acid-house yellow smiley, perched atop the clock face of Big Ben as the hands approach midnight. It is one of Banksy's sharpest visual puns from his mid-2000s stencil peak, fusing the imagery of death with the rave-era smiley to mock British complacency as the clock runs down.
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 collapses two loaded symbols into one image: the Grim Reaper, the universal emblem of mortality, and the yellow smiley, shorthand for 1990s rave culture, forced cheerfulness, and consumer pacification. Set on Big Ben at near-midnight, it reads as a memento mori aimed squarely at Britain, where the establishment grins while time runs out. The "doomsday clock" framing gives it political weight that extends beyond a simple gag, tying it to Banksy's recurring distrust of authority and his habit of weaponising friendly pop imagery to deliver bleak messages. It is a concentrated example of the dark humour and one-line subversion that defines his stencil-era work.
Collector Perspective
An edition of only 70 makes this one of the scarcer Banksy screen prints from 2005, well below the typical 150–750 run sizes of the period, which gives it meaningful rarity within his catalogue. It is not among his most iconic mass-recognised images like Girl with Balloon, so demand is driven more by committed Banksy collectors than crossover buyers, but the tiny edition size keeps supply genuinely thin at auction.
Historical Context
Issued in 2005 at the height of Banksy's Stencil Boom Era, the same window that produced his most enduring screen prints through Pictures on Walls, Grin Reaper belongs to a run of works in which Banksy paired death and authority imagery with pop-culture iconography. The yellow smiley had already become a Banksy signature device for satirising manufactured optimism, and pairing it with the Reaper and the Westminster clock tower roots the piece in a specifically British critique. The mid-2000s were the period when Banksy's profile surged from street artist to gallery-and-auction force, making editions from these years foundational to his market.
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: Issued in 2005 at the height of Banksy's Stencil Boom Era, the same window that produced his most enduring screen prints through Pictures on Walls, Grin Reaper belongs to a run of works in which Banksy paired death and authority imagery with pop-culture iconography. 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 Grin Reaper depict?
It shows the Grim Reaper as a hooded, robed skeletal figure holding a scythe, but with a bright yellow smiley face in place of a skull, sitting on top of the clock face of Big Ben with the hands near midnight.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 70, making it one of the scarcer Banksy screen prints from 2005.
Is this print signed?
This listing is the First Edition; copies exist both signed and unsigned.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print (silkscreen) on paper, produced in 2005 and published in association with Pictures on Walls.
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 prints published through Pictures on Walls.
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