Protesting war is a theme that occupies a special place in Banksy’s work (see for example Banksy’s CND Soldiers), and Everytime I Make Love to you I Think of Someone Else – an image of two cheerfully humping military vehicles, surrounded by a saccharine pink heart – is a pertinent example of Banksy’s views on modern warfare. Striking a balance between the whimsical and subversive is key trait of Banksy’s work: though the work strikes an ostensibly light-hearted, even humorous tone, Everytime I Make Love to you I Think of Someone Else was executed in the wake of 9/11, in the midst of escalating tensions and around the same time the US government began publicly setting out the groundwork for an invasion of Iraq, supported by key allies such as the United Kingdom.
“It takes a lot of guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in – like peace and justice and freedom.”
Auction Results
Every Time I Make Love To You I Think Of Someone Else, 2002
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000

Every Time I Make Love To You I Think Of Someone Else, 2002
33 1/3 Gallery, Los Angeles
Everytime I Make Love to you I Think of Someone Else, 2002
Estimated: HKD 2,400,000 – 3,500,000
HKD 3,125,000 / USD 401,052
BANKSY
Everytime I Make Love to you I Think of Someone Else, 2002
Acrylic, spray paint and stencil on canvas
91.5 x 76 cm (36 x 29 7/8 inches)
Tagged ‘BANKSY’ on the lower right edge
Further signed, numbered and dated ‘BANKSY 1/5 LA 2002’ on the stretcher
Provenance
33 1/3 Gallery, Los Angeles
Private Collection (acquired from the above in 2002)
Sotheby’s, London, 16 October 2010, lot 214
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner
Exhibited
Existencilism, 33 1/3 Gallery, Los Angeles, July 19 – August 18, 2002
Every Time I Make Love To You I Think Of Someone Else, 2003
GBP 42,000 / USD 57,950

Every Time I Make Love To You I Think Of Someone Else, 2003
Stencil spray-paint and acrylic on canvas
51×51 cm (20 1/16 x 20 1/16 inches)
Stenciled signed to the overlap
A gift from the artist to the current owner.