Gauntlet Gallery — Banksy Prints
Radar Rat (First Edition)
Work Summary & Collector Notes
Radar Rat shows Banksy's signature black stencil rat seated upright, broadcasting through a cone-shaped radar/satellite dish held to its mouth like a megaphone, set against a hypnotic concentric spiral rendered in orange and white spray. One of the artist's core rat works from the height of his stencil-on-paper output, the rat acts as Banksy's surrogate underdog, here cast as a propagandist or signal-jammer transmitting a message the establishment would rather suppress.
Collector notes: Edition; saved release record states an edition size of 36. 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 rat is Banksy's most autobiographical motif, an anagram of "art" and a stand-in for the unwanted, overlooked vermin of the city who survive on the margins, exactly the role he assigns the street artist. In Radar Rat the creature is no longer just scurrying or sloganeering; it is actively transmitting, the radar dish and spiral target turning the image into a comment on broadcast media, surveillance and propaganda, themes that run through Banksy's whole anti-establishment program. The hypnotic spiral, a direct nod to mind-control and hypnosis imagery, frames mass communication as something that pacifies rather than informs, a characteristically pointed visual joke delivered with minimal means.
Collector Perspective
With an edition of just 36, Radar Rat (First Edition) sits at the genuinely scarce end of Banksy's paper output, far below the 150 to 750 runs of his better-known signed prints. The very small edition means examples surface infrequently, and condition, full margins and a clean hand-numbered fraction (here visible lower left) materially affect value. As an early rat subject from his most collected period, it carries strong name recognition within the catalogue, but the tiny supply makes it more of an opportunistic acquisition than a print you can reliably source on demand.
Historical Context
Produced in 2004, Radar Rat dates from the heart of Banksy's Stencil Boom Era, the stretch in the early-to-mid 2000s when he moved from Bristol and London walls into editioned screen prints and built the rat into a recurring cast member. The period coincides with heightened public anxiety over surveillance, the post-9/11 security state and saturation news media, and the radar dish and hypnotic target read directly against that backdrop. It belongs to a family of rat prints from these years, including the Gangsta Rat and Radar Rat subjects, in which Banksy pairs his fast, graffiti-derived stencil technique with pointed satire of authority and control.
Documented Release Details
- Object type
- Editioned screenprint
- Release date
- 2004
- 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 36.
- 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: Produced in 2004, Radar Rat dates from the heart of Banksy's Stencil Boom Era, the stretch in the early-to-mid 2000s when he moved from Bristol and London walls into editioned screen prints and built the rat into a recurring cast member. 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 2004.
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 Radar Rat depict?
A black stencilled rat seated upright, holding a cone-shaped radar or satellite dish to its mouth like a megaphone, set against a concentric orange-and-white hypnotic spiral or target. The rat acts as a broadcaster or signal-jammer, a comment on media, propaganda and surveillance.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is just 36, making this First Edition one of Banksy's smaller and scarcer paper runs.
Is this print signed or numbered?
This example is hand-numbered (the fraction is visible lower left) and carries a signature lower right.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print on paper, produced in 2004, executed in Banksy's characteristic flat stencil style with hand-sprayed orange in the spiral.
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 messages, with recurring motifs including rats, monkeys, riot police and children.
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