Winnie The Pooh
Winnie The Pooh
Signed Mixed Media
Banksy
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51 x 51cm, Edition of 25, Mixed Media
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Meaning & Analysis
Banksy's 2003 Winnie The Pooh spray paint stencil on canvas, released in a signed edition of 25. Banksy shows A.A. Milne’s beloved bear with his paw caught in a trap: his honey pot, transformed into a money pot, symbolizing the corruption of childhood innocence by capitalism's trap.
In Winnie The Pooh, Banksy captures Winnie The Pooh sitting next to a tree. The bear appears to be crying or frustrated about something. The bear seems to be caught in a bear trap at the foot of a tree. Conventionally depicted in yellow, in this design the bear is rendered in black and white spray paint. Banksy adds a touch of satirical humour to the drawing by replacing Winnie The Pooh’s iconic pot of honey with a pot of money. The spray paint implies that the character, who is a symbol of childlike naivité, has been lured into the trap of money, materialism and consumerism. The spray paint explores themes of capitalism and greed and suggests that even the most innocent can fall victim to the lure of money and power.
Winnie The Pooh first appeared as a mural in Bristol, where Banksy grew up, in 1999. Banksy reproduced the image as a spray paint on canvas, making it one of the artist’s earliest collections of works on canvas.
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.