Banksy Art for Sale - You Don’t Need To Be A Billionaire To Buy Banksy Art Prints and Originals

Can You Buy Banksy Art?

Fortunately for collectors, it’s possible to buy Banksy art at a wide range of prices. While it’s true that some buyers have paid eye-watering sums for Banksy works at auction, there are also affordable alternatives available to budding investors. At Maddox Gallery, we’re proud to offer a selection of Banksy art for sale, including prints, a much more affordable alternative to his works on canvas. 

So, how much does Banksy art sell for, exactly? Banksy’s artworks take various forms, from editioned prints to mixed-media originals and large-scale public murals, and this diversity is reflected in a wide range of prices. His most iconic works, like Kate Moss, Nola, Choose Your Weapon, Love is in the Air and Girl with Balloon, often exceed £100k, with the most accessible entrypoint to collecting Banksy via his unsigned prints, which start from around £8-£10k.

A rapidly growing sector in the art world, prints are original works of art, created by a fine art printer in close collaboration with the artist. Editions are simply a numbered collection of prints, with smaller editions usually more valuable. For high-profile artists like Banksy, whose works are in consistently high demand, prints and editions are the perfect gateway into ownership.

AVAILABLE EDITIONS 

Banksy is considered a pioneer of the prints and editions market. An essential part of the street artist’s oeuvre, he unveiled his first commercial prints in 2002. Today, they dominate his marketplace, with more than 45 original print editions released to the public up to 2019, when Banksquiat made its debut. 

Within Banksy’s booming prints market, whether a print is signed and the size of the edition is crucial in determining its value. Bearing the coveted signature, signed Banksy prints are usually produced as much smaller limited editions and are sold with a substantial premium. Signed small edition prints featuring well-known imagery are priced between £50-£100k, while lesser-known signed prints range from £30k to £50k. 

As their name suggests, unsigned Banksy prints are not signed by the artist, however they are often created as numbered limited editions, increasing their worth. Prestigious unsigned prints come in at around £20-£30k, while unsigned large edition Banksy print prices range between £8-£10k.

Most Famous Banksy Artworks

From the wonderfully subversive Dismaland, a Disney-style theme park open for just five short weeks in the UK, to the powerful Love Is In The Air, Show Me the Monet to Choose Your Weapon, the list of famous Banksy art is long. 

In October 2018, one of Banksy’s most-recognisable works entered the history books thanks to an incredible stunt, orchestrated by the artist, at Sotheby’s in London. With Girl with Balloon on the block, the bidding was intense. Soaring past its high estimate of £300,000, the piece eventually sold for £860,000 – a total of £1 million with fees. Seconds after the gavel came down, marking the end of the Banksy auction, the work began to shred in front of onlookers’ eyes in what was one the most creative art interventions of all time. The anonymous buyer chose to keep the work, despite the damage to the canvas, and it was quickly retitled Love Is In The Bin. 

That’s not the end of the story, though. Boosted by the overwhelming global media response, in October 2021 Love Is In The Bin returned to auction, fetching a staggering £18.6 million and setting a world auction record for the most expensive Banksy artwork ever sold at auction.

Devolved Parliament, 2009, Oil on canvas

Another famous Banksy work is Devolved Parliament, which sold for £9.9 million in October 2019. A cutting social commentary on the nature of political power and governance, the huge oil-on-canvas painting, 4 metres in width, shows the House of Commons overrun with chimpanzees in place of politicians. Who can forget Kissing Coppers, one of Banksy’s most famous murals. Depicting two British policemen, entangled in a passionate embrace, this iconic image made its first appearance on the wall of The Prince Albert pub in Brighton in 2004.

Released in 2003 as a limited edition of 150 signed and 600 unsigned prints, Banksy’s Flying Copper is an iconic example of Banksy’s early work that remains an accessible entrypoint into the artist’s marketplace. Donut, which debuted at the Banksy Vs. Bristol Museum show in 2009, and Jack and Jill, created in 2005 and often referred to as ‘Police Kids’, are two other famous prints to look out for that fall into the more-affordable bracket. These are just some examples of authentic Banksy art for sale at Maddox Gallery.

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Who is Banksy

The elusive street artist Banksy, whose identity remains a mystery, emerged onto the scene in the early 1990s, initially under the alias ‘Robin Banx’ before adopting the more concise moniker ‘Banksy’. Hailing from Bristol, England, he immersed himself in graffiti culture, using walls as his canvas to convey political messages and shed light on important social issues.

Banksy has been credited with single-handedly transforming street art into a widely appreciated genre among art collectors and investors, while achieving the near-impossible by keeping his identity a secret. This air of mystery has only served to increase the allure and desirability of his art, which is reflected in the surge in Banksy art prices in recent years. 

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His rise to stardom began in the early 2000s, when satirical Banksy graffiti began popping up in Bristol, spray-painted, guerilla-style, on walls and buildings. The artist has been credited with single-handedly transforming attitudes towards street art with his signature Banksy stencil technique, using intricate templates to replicate his works. Originally used to reduce the chances of getting caught - graffiti remains a criminal offence in the UK - stencilling allowed Banksy to perfect his art in advance of reproducing it on his chosen surface. Used by other prominent graffiti artists, including Blek Le Rat, one of Banksy’s biggest influences, it quickly became his hallmark technique.

The significance of the Banksy effect in the art world is such that when the newest Banksy turns up, in the heart of a war zone in Ukraine or overnight at London Zoo, it is world news. A graffiti artist, painter, activist, filmmaker and mischief maker, his provocative approach to art has catapulted him to a level of fame that is quite unprecedented.

Despite this, it is not only the wealthy who can afford to buy a Banksy. This is a misconception, stirred up by front-page headlines devoted to his multi-million-pound sales. Those looking for a genuine Banksy for sale in the more-accessible price bracket should explore Banksy’s unsigned prints, which are created in higher edition numbers and offer a broader range of affordability.

Why Buy Banksy Art

Banksy’s artistic value is closely linked to the cultural significance of his art. With works like the classic Banksy Laugh Now, featuring a downtrodden chimpanzee wearing a sandwich board bearing the words “Laugh now but one day we’ll be in charge”, he places key components of the human condition, including poverty and despair, under the microscope. 

Social and political commentary are often embedded in Banksy’s pieces, and this has given him cross-cultural appeal far beyond the traditional art world. With works like Banksy Stop and Search, which critiques the misuse of the UK government's stop-and-search policy, he has a unique ability to capture the spirit of our times and communicate profound issues through simple, striking imagery. By making his art widely available on the streets and in public spaces, he has also succeeded in spreading his messages far and wide This has led to Banksy’s growing mainstream appeal across the UK, Europe and, more recently, the rest of the world, particularly Asia and the Middle East.

Banksy prints Laugh Now (2004) and Stop and Search (2007)

In recent years, established institutions have also started actively seeking his work. Embraced and sought after by an array of institutions, from Bristol Museum & Art Gallery to Christie’s auction house, in February 2019, the British Museum acquired Di-faced Tenner, a fake £10 banknote featuring Diana, Princess of Wales. Although there has been no indication the museum will display the work anytime soon, this acquisition is not the first time Banksy’s work has appeared within the walls of the British Museum. In 2005, he surreptitiously installed a fake cave painting in the museum’s Roman Britain Gallery. Going undetected for three days, Peckham Rock was a great source of embarrassment for the gallery. However, in 2018, the gallery seemingly reversed their opinion and requested it back on loan for a group show about protest art, curated by the British journalist Ian Hislop.

WHY INVEST IN BANKSY

Understanding the Market for Banksy Art

Banksy's market has evolved dramatically from the early 2000s when his prints were sold for a few hundred pounds, with unsigned editions priced as low as £75. His early releases, once accessible to only hardcore street art fans, have since skyrocketed in value, reflecting both the artist's growing popularity and limited supply. Key exhibitions such as Turf War in 2003 began to draw broader global attention, helping to establish his reputation and influence, increasing the demand for his works worldwide.

Banksy's work, particularly iconic pieces like Girl with Balloon, saw massive demand in the secondary market, with prices climbing from their release price of £150 in the early 2000s to nearly £500,000 by 2021 for signed editions. The scarcity of his prints, particularly post-2010, fuelled this surge, as most of his print releases occurred before 2010 with only 3 occurring post 2010, all in 2019. This scarcity created immense pressure in the market, driving prices up significantly as global interest further expanded, with collectors from the U.S. and Asia increasingly entering the market. This demand in part was due to his innovative use of imagery, conveying complex themes into simple iconography which can be understood without language or cultural barriers, appealing to a global audience. His public street art, innovative exhibitions and high-profile pranks further boosted his exposure and generated global attention. This is evidenced not only by the rapid price appreciation for his work but also in annual trading volumes which saw only 61 works sold at auction in 2007 to 400+ in 2017 up to over 1,206 in 2021.

Banksy’s print Choose Your Weapon - White (2010)

However, by 2021, high prices started to price out new buyers, leading to an inevitable cooling period as his market corrected itself with the pandemic further impacting trading volumes, leading to a temporary decline. Despite this, Banksy’s work remained resilient, maintaining its allure, and solidifying his position as a blue-chip artist with ongoing market growth shifting toward longer term holding by collectors. This shift mirrors the trajectory of other contemporary artists, whose early markets were also fuelled by fast returns and rapid growth but later evolved into more stable markets as their influence and legacy solidified. This maturation of Banksy's market reflects sustained confidence in his long-term value, positioning him as a hallmark name in contemporary art, with increasing focus on collecting for legacy rather than flipping for short-term profit.

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How to Buy A Banksy

Because of Banksy’s international fame, fakes do exist. To counteract this, Pest Control Banksy was established in 2009. An official body for managing and authenticating his body of work, Pest Control led the way for other street artists who wanted to remain anonymous while developing a secondary market for their art.

To ensure what you are looking at is original Banksy art for sale, it is important to check whether it comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, issued by Pest Control. We also advise that any Banksy prints and originals are purchased from a reputable gallery or auction house who can guarantee their legitimacy. 

Conclusion

Banksy has a knack for creating powerful imagery that resonates strongly with its uncomfortable truths about contemporary society, helping to cement him as a key figure in the art historical canon. From the earliest examples of Banksy street art in his home town of Bristol to the familiar barking dog in Banksy Choose Your Weapon, which pays homage to Pop Artist Keith Haring, his artworks are consistent crowd-pleasers. 

This doesn't mean you need to be a billionaire to own a piece by Banksy, though. For those with budget to spare, a signed Banksy canvas is an important piece of art history, while unsigned Banksy framed prints and editions on paper are extremely collectible.

Request a call from one of our dedicated Art Advisors to discuss investing in Banksy.

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