Why is HMV important?

At first glance this piece conveys a dark sense of humour. But as with all works from Banksy, there is room for many interpretations. One could read it as the artist targeting the music industry and, perhaps on a larger scope, any mass-production company. As the dog is clearly ready to open fire on what symbolises the music industry, this may represent Banksy’s desire to take down stores like HMV and similar entities that market mainstream culture.

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How can I sell my HMV print?

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HMV by Banksy Background & Meaning

HMV

First tagged in 2003, on the streets of Bristol and Shoreditch, Banksy’s HMV logo rework sees the dog aiming a bazooka at the gramophone. A brilliant example of Banksy's anti-authoritarian, black humour, the image can also be read as a commentary on the decline of the music industry under capitalism.

Meaning & Analysis

A prime example of Banksy-style black humour, His Master’s Voice or Rocket Dog (2003) reworks the popular music store chain’s logo. The HMV company emblem derives from a painting by the Liverpudlian artist Francis Barraud, and depicts a dog, called Nipper, listening intently to a cylinder phonograph.

Much like the original logo, the Banksy print depicts a seated dog in profile, facing a gramophone. Here, however, Banksy reinvents the image with his usual irony, portraying the anthropomorphic dog casually aiming a shoulder-mounted bazooka rocket directly into the horn of the gramophone.

The monochromatic composition is formally rendered in Banksy’s signature stencil style, but with the exclusive, inverse use of a black background with contrasting white detail in the foreground.

HMV was first tagged on the streets of Banksy’s hometown of Bristol. Then in 2003, the artist spray painted the HMV dog motif on the walls of the courtyard of the Cargo nightclub in London, this time with a yellow and orange background. Cargo can be found on Rivington Street in the middle of Shoreditch, an area that many consider being the thriving heart of street art in the UK capital. The renowned venue is built inside an old railway tunnel with brick walls laden with colourful graffiti. Acclaimed as a local masterpiece, Banksy's work has been protected by perspex for about 15 years, and crowds still gather today to see it.

Banksy's HMV dog appeared on paintings of various sizes in the early 2000s and was later released in 50cm x 35cm print format in 2003. It was released as an edition of 600 unsigned prints and only 150 signed HMV prints.

At first glance this piece conveys a dark sense of humour. But as with all works from Banksy, there is room for many interpretations. One could read it as the artist targeting the music industry and, perhaps on a larger scope, any mass-production company. As the dog is clearly ready to open fire on what symbolises the music industry, this may represent Banksy’s desire to take down stores like HMV and similar entities that market mainstream culture.
But he may also be commenting on the losing battle of music retailers in the digital era. On a deeper level, this art piece shows a contrast between youth and old age. The gramophone evokes the past generations and conservatism. Banksy's decision to include an archaic item in his composition can be regarded as a critique of the old as the dog is determined to destroy it so as to leave room for the new. The armed dog, akin to a video game character, embodies youth and thus its victory on conservatism.
If you're looking to sell art by Banksy, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.