ANGEL, 2009

Auction History

Catalogue Note

Executing works both in public spaces and in the studio, Banksy effortlessly negotiates between the worlds of street and fine art. This fusion of genres is exemplified in Angel, an image of the Holy Virgin created in Banksy’s signature stencil style. This recognizable motif immediately recalls countless art historical images of the Ascension created by Western artists during the 15th to 17th centuries. This strong art historical reference, rendered in spray paint as opposed to oil paints, establishes a dialogue between the dichotomy of street and fine art.

Furthermore, Angel is also typically imbued with a poignant social commentary; this particular stencil has appeared before in Banksy’s oeuvre – a work featuring the same image of the Holy Virgin appeared in Naples at the Piazza dei Girolamini, and has locally become known as the “Napoli Angel” or the “Madonna con Pistol”. In this instance, the Virgin is depicted in her assent towards an iconized pistol, with potent, blood-red droplets on her monochromatic chest indicative of a gunshot wound, arguably signaling a problem with the glorification of crime in the area.

In this sense, Banksy’s bleeding angel displays his mission: the anarchic and turbulence of the street is represented in the glaring wound, puncturing the heart of the angel motif, an image which represents sanctified, classical art history. Satirical and engaged, as well as technically accomplished, Angel attests to Banksy’s global reputation as one of the most prolific and intriguing artists of our time.