Kids on Guns, 2003
Edition: 25
Spray-paint in colors on stretched canvas
50.8 x 50.8 cm (20×20 inches)
Stenciled “BANKSY” in red spray paint on the turnover edge
Signed, dated, and numbered /25 in black ink on the reverse of the stretcher

Undoubtedly one of the most controversial street artists in the contemporary art scene, Bristolian street artist Banksy has achieved global attention whilst still maintaining his anonymity. Known for his iconic anti-war imagery such as Kids on Guns (2003), Banksy’s works provide poignant and potent social commentaries on contemporary issues such as terrorism, political authority and capitalism. Utilizing simple visual cues and a strong contrast in color, his works deliver powerful messages that are universally understood, marked by dark humor, satire, and strong political undertones.

“All graffiti is low-level dissent, but stencils have an extra history. They’ve been used to start revolutions and to stop wars.”

With its striking simplicity and raw immediacy, Kids on Guns is a prime example demonstrating the artist’s famed stencil and spray paint approach that originated from his time as a graffiti artist on the streets of Bristol. This technique allowed him to work quickly and make hasty escapes, maintaining a consistent level of quality in his work whilst protecting his anonymity as his popularity grew. In Kids on Guns, the artist places the image of an innocent little girl and boy – accentuated with a heart shaped balloon and teddy bear – against the silhouettes of a mountain of weapons below their feet in a satirical juxtaposition. Surrounded by violence and threats, the two young children look to each other for consolation, as the boy rests his hand on the girl’s shoulder as a sign of reassurance.

Standing atop the mountain of brutality with a shining red balloon – an iconic motif that is almost synonymous to Banksy himself – the children are advocating for hope amongst fear in somber solidarity, offering an alternative view against the chaotic state of affairs that is war, oppression, hatred and violence.

The contrasting, punchy visuals barely conceal a more somber, hard-hitting reality, giving way to reveal the visual paradox of the two young children – the epitome of innocence – amidst the overflowing, violent weaponry. The young boy, clutching his teddy bear to his chest, appears to console the young girl, who carries the infamous red heart balloon that has since become a hallmark of Banksy’s trade. Their emotive depiction, juxtaposed against the sharp, jutting edges of the various guns and artillery at their feet, serves as a blatant critique of a global society riddled with conflict and aggression. The compositional arrangement, with the figures standing at the apex of a towering pile of symbolic violence, draws pronounced visual parallels with Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, the July 28^th, 1830, inspired by the bloody July revolution in Paris that saw the overthrow of Charles X.

Eugène Delacroix, Liberty Leading the People, the July 28^th, 1830, 1830, Musée du Louvre, Paris. Image: Photo Josse/Scala, Florence

 A renowned depiction of heroic rebellion, it became one of the artist’s most well-known and recognizable paintings, held in the permanent collection at the Louvre and, to this day, remains a work synonymous with themes of liberation, democracy and victory over oppression. The leading figure, a classical personification of liberty, brandishes a Tricolor, the crimson red of the flag recalling that of the balloon in the present work, and the tumultuous scene rises in a similar pyramidal arrangement of death and violence, delineated by the sharp protrusion rifles and bayonets. Kids on Guns bears a marked comparison with the 19^th Century masterpiece, both visually and conceptually, a contemporary reinterpretation that reiterates the same socio-political concerns that, tragically, endure nearly two centuries later with modern warfare. Laced with inherent undertones of violence, the iconography of the innocent children perhaps also provides an element of hope that humanity and compassion have the power to overcome conflict in the same way that liberty presided over Paris in Delacroix’s time.

“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”

Acting as institutional critique, these works questioned and subverted the very environment in which art lives in – the museum, making a statement that art does not have to be produced and consumed by a certain coterie of artists and critics, breaking art free from its preconceived definitions and constraints. These underlying satirical and political tones of Banksy’s creations evoke the same dissident principles that inspired conceptual art, marking him as one of the pioneering artists of his time. Embodying both sides of a multi-layered paradox, Banksy’s works comment on potentially marginalizing political issues with contrasting punchy, light humor; he is immensely popular, yet remains an anonymous persona; his works originated from the streets yet has found their ways into international prestigious institutions. Continuously pushing the boundaries of art and taste, it is this unique duality that captivates the audience with such powerful resonance.

“Yesterday I set up a stall in the park selling 100% authentic original signed Banksy canvases. For $60 each.”

In 2013, during Banksy’s time at his residency with Better Out Than In in New York, the artist set up a temporary stall in Central Park with an unassuming hawker to sell his stenciled works to onlooking tourists, priced at $60 each. Several of Banky’s most iconic black and white motifs were available, amongst which is an edition of Kids on Guns. This act democratized Banksy’s works and made it more accessible to the public; works by the artist were bought as if they were any trinket on a street market. The stark contrast between the initial purchase price of $60 and the current auction records positions the work as a witty and potent commentary on art circulation, the art market and authenticity as a whole.

The first paintings weren’t sold until 3.30pm when a lady acquired two for her children after first negotiating a 50% discount. The footage shows them being placed without protection in a blue plastic carrier bag. Kids on Guns and Winnie The Pooh, the two lots offered here, were purchased together half an hour later by the present owner, a New Zealander, and the transaction was also captured on film. A further four works had sold by the end of the day generating the total sum of $420 for the artist. For the casual observer it must have been difficult to believe that the works were in fact genuine. The ubiquitous nature of the trader and stand, located in one of New York’s tourist hotspots, and the overall display of the works was a master stroke: a setting and presentation at odds with the hallowed white cube space of a gallery environment designed to lend artworks gravitas and, by association, added value. The fact that his paintings were original and were being offered at a tiny fraction of their true retail value raises real questions about the perception of worth and the nature of art as commodity within the marketplace, something that the artist must be acutely aware of. Banksy, the maverick artist embraced by the very same establishment he sets out to ridicule. His website was careful to add “Please note: This was a one off. The stall will not be there again today.” in order to avoid the dangerous sales scrum that would have resulted from the changed perception of these very same works.

Better Out Than In

Better Out Than In, Banksy’s high profile ‘residency’ in New York City ran through the month of October 2013. The artist’s intention was to execute thirty-one artworks around the streets of Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs, with each new work being unveiled on a daily basis. Residencies are usually collaborative projects with artists being invited to work outside their day to day environment often in conjunction with a local community or institution, such as a museum, studio or university. They are considered to be reflective and serene experiences evolving from the relationship between the artist and their hosts. In true Banksy style, Better Out Than In was a radical departure from the norm. For a start, he hadn’t been invited by the city authorities who no doubt viewed his works as acts of vandalism. The New York City Police Department had historically adopted a zero tolerance policy on street art and had aggressively pursued and prosecuted its perpetrators. Whilst Banksy’s anonymity allowed him a certain degree of protection, it was hardly a position that encouraged open collaboration with the local community, and the effort of covertly producing a new work every day under the watchful eye of the NYPD, the press and an army of admiring fans must have been a challenging experience.

Despite the pressures, Better Out Than In, was always meant to be a public project with Banksy keen to engage with New Yorkers (and the rest of the world for that matter). Images of his works in situ were posted daily on his website and were almost instantaneously reproduced on social media sites, followed closely by prime-time coverage on mainstream news outlets, giving his creations both an immediacy and an instant global audience. The flavor was distinctly New York – the accent, the city’s hardline attitude to graffiti and the Twin Towers were all referenced in his works – even if the themes continued to be universal: social injustice, censorship and the re-appropriation and commodification of dissention were all addressed. Many of his stencil motifs incorporated street furniture; others were mobile.

Sirens of the Lamb featured a truck filled with stuffed animals touring New Yorks’ Meat Packing District, whilst a performance-based piece saw a fiberglass replica of Ronald McDonald appear outside the door of the city’s ubiquitous burger chains, his oversized boots being cleaned by an adolescent shoe shiner.

Auction Results

Kids on Guns, 2004

Phillips London: 6 March 2025
Estimated: GBP 400,000 – 600,000
GBP 508,000 / USD 650,240

Banksy – Modern & Contemporary Art Eve… Lot 17 March 2025 | Phillips

Kids on Guns, 2003

Phillips Hong-Kong: 1 December 2022
Estimated: HKD 8,500,000 – 12,000,000
HKD 7,147,000 / USD 915,700

Banksy – 20th Century & Contemporar… Lot 26 December 2022 | Phillips

Kids on Guns, 2013

Bonhams London: 2 July 2014
Estimated: GBP 50,000 – 70,000
GBP 68,500 / USD 117,565

Bonhams : Banksy (b. 1975) Kids on Guns 2013

Kids on Guns, 2003

Bonhams London: 17 April 2013
Estimated: GBP 50,000 – 70,000
GBP 75,650 / USD 115,320

Bonhams : Banksy (b. 1975) Kids on Guns

Kids on Guns, 2003