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Gangsta Rat - Mixed Media by Banksy 2004 - MyArtBroker

Gangsta Rat
Mixed Media

Banksy

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41 x 30cm, Edition of 25, Mixed Media

Medium: Mixed Media
Edition size: 25
Year: 2004
Size: H 41cm x W 30cm
Signed: No
Format: Mixed Media
Last Auction: June 2017

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Auction Results

Auction Date
Auction House
Location
Return to Seller
Hammer Price
Buyer Paid
June 2017
Bonhams New Bond Street
United Kingdom
$110,000
$130,000
$160,000
October 2007
Sotheby's Online
United Kingdom
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Track auction value trend

Banksy's Gangsta Rat (unsigned) from 2004, a mixed media artwork, is estimated to be worth between £250,000 to £380,000. This work has been sold twice at auction since its initial sale on 15th October 2007. There has been no sales activity in the last 12 months or the last five years. The edition size of this artwork is limited to 25.

Created with Highcharts 11.4.8Oct 2007May 2009Jan 2011Aug 2012Mar 2014Nov 2015Jun 2017$80,000$100,000$120,000$140,000$160,000$180,000© MyArtBroker

Meaning & Analysis

Using a stencil, Banksy depicts an anthropomorphised rat that takes on the appearance of a New York gangsta. The rat is rendered in black spray paint wearing a sideways New York Mets baseball cap with a chain around its neck and carrying a boombox. The rat stares out of the composition and to its right is a large exclamation mark. The dripping spray paint implies that the rat has just graffitied the exclamation mark on the canvas.

Rats have become an important visual motif that recur throughout Banksy’s artworks. The rodent has become an allegorical tool for the artist to present the flaws and vices of humans, as well as stand in solidarity with people who are treated like vermin. By making rats the subject of his spray paints, Banksy gives a voice to those who are underrepresented in capitalist society and struggle in the 21st century’s proverbial ‘rat race’.

Banksy is an anonymous artist and produces many of his street murals at night so as to avoid being seen by members of the public, as well as being caught by the police, as his public artworks are created illegally. The lawless nature of Banksy’s artistic career means that artist identifies with rats on a personal level. Like rats, graffiti artists appear at night and are considered nuisances by much of society.

  • 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.

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