I REMEMBER WHEN ALL THIS WAS TREES, 2010

Auction History

Catalogue Note

One of Banksy’s most poignant examples of American street art, Remember When All This Was Trees is a four-color aerosol stencil and freehand figural work with text depicting a young boy holding a brush and a can of red paint. Having just written the title statement lamenting the loss of nature and deforestation, the young boy confronts the viewer directly with a deadpan expression. The mural was fittingly executed on the wall of a derelict building at what was once the Packard automobile plant in Detroit, Michigan – now a wasteland of crumbling concrete, glass, and steel and a symbol of ongoing hardship in the economically and socially mired city.

Banksy created this work in 2010 just prior to the premiere of the documentary that would bring him to stardom, Exit through the Gift Shop (Paranoid Pictures, 2010). Fingerprints can clearly be seen on the red paint and are an intriguing clue and rarely seen personal touch from the anonymous artist. An image of this work was posted on Banksy’s web site shortly after its creation.