PRICE AT TIME OF PRINT: £59,995 Number of Bids 15
E-Bay Description;
An extremely scarce piece of Banksy street art which has nevertheless been fully certified by Banksy's Gallery, Pictures on Walls (included is a Pest Control Certificate of Authenticity). This safe has an impeccable provenance. Not only does it appear photographed in Banksy's book 'Wall and Piece' on page 102, it was offered for sale by Christies as lot 180 in their sale in London on February 12th 2009. Early 2009 was about the bottom of the Banksy market, at time when UK Banks were nearing a precipice, and a general air of capitalist armageddon gripped the Square Mile. Unsurprisingly in that atmosphere the safe did not sell. The piece itself measures 25 by 18 by 19 inches and is executed as spray paint on an enamel and steel safe. The stencil used is one of Banksy's most distinctive early motifs, the rat with a parachute. The stencil has been arranged around the handle and combination wheel of the safe itself. The safe, dating probably from the 1970s, is currently locked and there is some damage to the outer surface of the safe - a number of scratches and chips. The stencil itself is in very good order. The central plastic covering of the combination wheel is missing, although this has been missing for some time, and was certainly lacking when it was offered at Christies. The combination wheel turns, and perhaps in the hands of the right cracksman might open. The safe comes from a friend of Banksy who writes 'To fill you in on me a bit. I have a tattoo studio in the West Country and prior to that I had a studio on Hackney Road, East London. It was there that I met and tattooed Banksy and he would pay me in prints. I also helped him out with his tattooed Venus sculpture that was in the crude oils show. I think because of this he gave me the safe as a thank you. I think also because of this two years later he must have approved the certificate for me when I tried to get it authenticated.
