Avon And Somerset Constabulary (pink)
Avon And Somerset Constabulary (pink)
Unsigned Spray Paint
Banksy
Price data unavailable
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Spray Paint
Edition size: 10
Year: 2000
Size: H 61cm x W 61cm
Signed: No
Format: Unsigned Spray Paint
Track this artwork in realtime
Watch artwork, manage valuations, track your portfolio and return against your collection
Track auction value trend
Auction Results
| Auction Date | Auction House | Location | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2024 | Phillips London | United Kingdom | |||
| April 2019 | Sotheby's Hong Kong | Hong Kong | |||
| November 2018 | Phillips London | United Kingdom | |||
| June 2017 | Sotheby's Online | United Kingdom | |||
| October 2008 | Bonhams New Bond Street | United Kingdom |
Meaning & Analysis
Banksy's early artwork, Avon And Somerset Constabulary (pink) (2002), released in an unsigned edition of 10, features spray paint on canvas. Banksy satirizes his hometown police force in Bristol, depicting two bumbling officers with binoculars looking in different directions, implying their incompetence in noticing even petty crimes, including graffiti.
Made around the time of Banksy’s move from Bristol to London, before the artist found international fame, Avon And Somerset Constabulary is less scornful of the police than Banksy’s later works. In this piece the police officers look incompetent rather than dangerous. Later prints and paintings featuring the police, like Flying Copper (2003) and Stop And Search (2007) are far more critical about the threat of police brutality, the increasing ‘nanny state’ and how law enforcers are more of a danger to the public than protectors.
“Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place,” Banksy wrote in his 2005 book, Wall and Piece. It is almost prophetic that in 2008, close to eight years after Banksy made Avon And Somerset Constabulary, that Bristol became the first city in England to get an anti-graffiti police team. That Banksy’s graffiti has been protected by the city council sends the wrong message to other graffiti artists, the police force has argued – a statement that no doubt vindicates Banksy’s own views about the police
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.
