Love Is In the Air (Flower Thrower), 2010
Spray-paint on canvas
84.5x84.5 cm (33 1/3 x 33 1/3 inches)
From a series, unique in this format
Signed and dated “BANKSY 2010” on the reverse
Phillips London: 30 June 2015
GBP 134,500
“If you want to say something and have people listen
then you have to wear a mask.”
This work is an expression of the themes and motifs that have defined Banksy’s career. A politically motivated graffiti artist plying his trade on the streets of Bristol, Banksy made a name for himself with a strong anti-establishment message delivered through dark and humorous imagery. Increasingly popular and increasingly serious, Banksy has brought street art into the gallery space, delivering the art form to a new audience.
Soon after his first solo exhibition at the Los Angeles based 33 1/3 Gallery in 2002, Banksy created the ”Love is in the Air” stencil; it has since become one of his most recognizable icons.
Originally spray painted on a wall off London’s Rivington Street, circa 2003, Banksy has reworked the stencil on a regular basis throughout his career. The image of a masked figure throwing a bouquet of flowers is thought to symbolize the action needed to bring about change; as Banksy has remarked, “If you want to say something and have people listen then you have to wear a mask”.
This rare appropriation of the original subject matter sees the stencil overlaid on a green-daubed canvas and complimented by the running paint of the love heart in the background. It is an excellent example of one of Banksy’s most famed motifs, and an articulation of his impetuous political vision.
Source: Phillips
