Love Rat
Love Rat
Signed Print
Banksy
£30,000-£50,000Value Indicator
$60,000-$100,000 Value Indicator
$60,000-$90,000 Value Indicator
¥290,000-¥480,000 Value Indicator
€35,000-€60,000 Value Indicator
$320,000-$530,000 Value Indicator
¥5,960,000-¥9,940,000 Value Indicator
$40,000-$70,000 Value Indicator
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50 x 35cm, Edition of 150, Screenprint
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 Love Rat, from his Rat series, was released in a signed edition of 150 screen prints in 2004. Originally marketed as "ideal for a cheating spouse," the print depicts a rat painting a heart in red paint resembling blood, a reminder of love's painful nature.
The Love Rat image first appeared as a mural in Liverpool as one of Banksy’s first works featuring his iconic rat character. Much like fellow Graffiti Artist, Blek Le Rat, the rat is among Banksy’s favourite symbols and some 20% of his prints feature a rat, such as Gangsta Rat and Radar Rat. In this screen print, we see the rat has daubed a red heart with a paintbrush he is still holding. As rats are often associated with being dirty and disliked, this painting could be suggesting that even the worst of the worst love someone. In a different interpretation one could see the dripping red heart painted by the rat as bleeding, in which case the Love Rat is in fact the cause of some pain of the heart. As Banksy jokingly advertised this print on his site: “Ideal for a cheating spouse.” Rats are also symbols of intelligence and shrewdness, which means the rodents could even be a manifestation of Banksy himself, reflecting on his position vis-à-vis the art establishment.
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.
