BANKSY
Security Protected, 2004
Enamel and paper collage on foam card
59.3 x 84.2 cm (23 3/8 x 33 1/8 inches)
Signed “Banksy” lower left
Provenance
Private Collection, Vienna
Auction History
Christie’s London: 25 September 2014
Estimated: GBP 12,000 – 18,000
GBP 92,500
In Security Protected, Banksy once again arms his favorite anti-hero: the rat. This time, the rodent stands upright, bolt cutters in paw, poised to sabotage the very system that declares itself invulnerable. The bold red text “SECURITY PROTECTED” looms large at the center of the composition, while the rat, a symbol of resistance and survival, lurks in the corner, quietly undermining authority.
There is humor in the scale, and power in the contradiction. The institution brags about protection; the humble rat prepares to breach it. Banksy’s rats are more than vermin—they are avatars of the invisible, the underestimated, the defiant. With a single stencil and a clean white background, Banksy reminds us that systems can be cracked, and that those who boast the loudest about their security are often the most vulnerable.
Simple, clever, and deeply subversive, this piece encapsulates Banksy’s worldview: no system is too big, no rebel too small.
