HEAVY WEAPONRY, 2002

Provenance

• AndA Boutique, Tokyo
• Private collection
• Anon. sale; Christie’s, London, 01 July 2008, lot 332
• Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Auction History

Catalogue Note

Heavy Weaponry depicts a singular elephant made in Banksy’s recognizable stencil style with a rocket strapped to its back, hence the double-entendre in the witty title. The entire composition consists of a minimally depicted animal simply strolling forward, heavy with irony. The artist’s signature is visible in the bottom right-hand corner rendered in light grey stenciled capital letters.

The general message is obviously anti-military, in line with Banksy’s other works using similar imagery. Using the elephant as a symbol resonates with other famous Banksy works featuring various animals that represent ordinary people or the ‘masses’ vis-a-vis the establishment and the military-industrialist complex.