Untitled (Bird and Grenade), 2002

BANKSY
Untitled, 2002
Acrylic and spray enamel on canvas
43.2 x 43.2 cm (17×17 inches)
Stenciled ‘Bansky’ (on the overlap)
Signed, inscribed and dated ‘Banksy LA 2002 3/5’ (on the stretcher)
This work is number three from an edition of five

Provenance
33 1/3 Gallery, Los Angeles, USA

Auction History
Christie’s London: 20 October 2008
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 25,000

Banksy (b. 1975) , Untitled | Christie’s

This striking image, perhaps one of Banksy’s most direct anti-war metaphors, features a stylized bird, clutching a hand grenade by its pin: a compact yet devastating symbol. The bird, rendered in thick, graphic black lines, hovers against a stark, neutral background, all the more emphasizing its silhouette. The grenade dangles ominously below its beak, creating a precarious visual tension: at any moment, the bird could unwittingly release destruction…

The background is deliberately muted, allowing the focus to remain on the contrast between the delicate, sketch-like bird and the heavy, industrial form of the grenade. There’s a cartoonish quality to the bird, it is not majestic or realistic, but rather naive and almost cheerful in its linework, which only amplifies the discomfort of the explosive payload it carries.

This work is rich in symbolism. Birds traditionally represent peace, freedom, and fragility. Grenades, on the other hand, signify war, violence, and imminent catastrophe. By marrying these two incongruent icons, Banksy forces a confrontation with the absurdity of global militarism.

There’s a morbid humor in the image. The bird seems unaware of the consequences of its burden, blithely flying with the pin still intact. It echoes the darkly comic tone found in much of Banksy’s work: humor as a scalpel, used to dissect deeper truths. The absurdity of the visual can provoke a laugh, but it’s an uncomfortable one, coated in anxiety.

Another variation has been shown at S/2 in London.