Armored Car, 2002
Provenance
Private Collection (acquired directly from the artist in 2002)
Sotheby’s, London, February 11, 2010, lot 285
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Phillips New-York: 28 February 2017
Estimated: USD 60,000 – 80,000
Price realized: USD 162,500
In Armored Car, Banksy takes the machinery of war and dresses it for Easter brunch. The once-menacing vehicle is rendered almost cartoonish with its pastel pink bunny ears and an oversized baby-blue bow, saccharine touches that contrast hilariously with its brutal silhouette. Set against a pristine white backdrop, the absurdity is impossible to ignore.
This is Banksy at his most disarming: literally and metaphorically. By accessorizing a symbol of state violence with childlike flair, he forces a confrontation between innocence and aggression, packaging terror in a party costume. Is this a critique of how society glamorizes force? Or a reminder that beneath every polished image, there may still lurk steel and threat? Either way, Armored Car is a Trojan horse wrapped in whimsy.
