Bomb Love, also known as Bomb Hugger, stands as one of Banksy’s most poignant and enduring anti-war images. First appearing as a black-and-white stencil on the streets of East London in 2001, the artwork features a young girl embracing a large aerial bomb as if it were a cherished teddy bear. This juxtaposition of innocence and destruction encapsulates Banksy’s signature style: blending stark social commentary with disarming simplicity



Through Bomb Love, Banksy masterfully conveys the absurdities of modern warfare and the contradictions inherent in society’s relationship with violence. The artwork’s enduring relevance lies in its ability to provoke thought and challenge viewers to reflect on the world around them.
Auction Results
Bomb Love, 2002
Bonhams London: 15 October 2021
Estimated: GBP 450,000 – 650,000
GBP 562,750 / USD 773,865
Bonhams : Banksy (B. 1975) Bomb Love 2002
BANKSY
Bomb Love, 2002
Spray paint on canvas
25.4 x 20.3 cm (10×8 inches)
Tagged on the turnover edge
Provenance
Santa’s Ghetto, London
Simon Finch, London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2004
Bomb Love, also known as Bomb Hugger, is pure Banksy: provocative, bitingly satirical and yet tender. Always a vicious opponent of mass media and casual consumerism the sense that today’s youth are being sold aggression instead of innocence, war instead of play explodes from the canvas in a flash of bubble-gum pink.
Bomb Hugger, 2002
Estimated: GBP 35,000 – 45,000
GBP 40,000 / USD 61,315

BANKSY (B. 1975)
Bomb Hugger, 2002
Acrylic and spray enamel on canvas
30.5 x 30.5 cm (12×12 inches)
Private Collection
Anon. sale, Sotheby’s Olympia, 7 February 2007, lot 528
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Bomb Hugger, 2002
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 49,250 / USD 64,578

Further signed, dated, numbered /5, and inscribed “LA” on the reverse

Provenance
Existencilism, 33 1/3 Gallery, Los Angeles
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2002
Bomb Hugger, 2002
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000

Bomb Hugger, 2002
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner
Bomb Hugger, 2003
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000

BANKSY
Bomb Hugger, 2003
Spray paint and stencil on wood
120×99 cm (47 1/4 x 39 inches)
Provenance
Mondo Pop, Newton
Private Collection, San Francisco
Donated from the above to the present owners in 2006