Barcode
Barcode
Signed Print
Banksy
£35,000-£50,000Value Indicator
$70,000-$100,000 Value Indicator
$60,000-$90,000 Value Indicator
¥340,000-¥490,000 Value Indicator
€40,000-€60,000 Value Indicator
$380,000-$540,000 Value Indicator
¥6,890,000-¥9,840,000 Value Indicator
$50,000-$70,000 Value Indicator
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50 x 70cm, Edition of 150, Screenprint
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 150
Year: 2004
Size: H 50cm x W 70cm
Signed: Yes
Format: Signed Print
Last Auction: September 2024
Value Trend:
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
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Meaning & Analysis
Banksy's Barcode is a signed screen print released in 2004, depicting a leopard emerging from a barcode resembling bent cage bars, in his signature monochromatic, stencilled style. Produced in an edition of 150, it comments on the connection between consumerist capitalism and humanity's disregard for other species.
Banksy often employs a monochromatic palette to emphasise his powerful message and this black and white artwork is that signature stencil-style. It shows a majestic leopard in the foreground coming forth as if it was exiting the frame towards the viewer. Behind the leopard is a cage, which resembles a barcode from which the leopard seems to have escaped, given its bent bars.
Since Banksy’s beginnings in graffiti, he has been noted for his social commentary, taking on issues from police brutality, to the refugee crisis, war and animal cruelty. Here Banksy might be commenting on the way in which humans 'use' the environment and those creatures within it for their own entertainment or amusement – the most notable example of course, being zoos or sea-parks. The motif of the barcode suggests a critique of consumerism and commercial capitalism, which puts a price tag on everything including animal and human life. Animals are among his favourite symbols, often used in subversive artworks such as rats (Love Rat, Gangsta Rat) and monkeys (Laugh Now) also as a potential metaphor for people of the working class.
Renowned British street artist, Banksy, is the enigmatic figure behind some of the most subversive works in the Urban Art scene. Despite his anonymity, the artists' disruptive stunts have not only gained him notoriety, but they have vocalised his stance on many social and political issues. As seen with the likes of Girl With Balloon and Napalm, Banksy uses his distinctive stencil technique to produce thought-provoking commentaries on challenging themes. The showcase of rebellion that lines his work has caused his secondary market value to soar in recent years, propelling him to the top of the Urban Art scene.
