Claude Monet is undoubtedly one of the most acclaimed artists of all time; the French painter led a life packed full of intrigue, adventure and drama, as so often is the case with famous figures in the art world.
There’s much to report on Monet from his eventful years on this earth, from trailblazing art techniques to personal tragedy, but who is Claude Monet? Our Canvas Art Rocks team have found out more on the prolific painter with our 5 favourite Claude Monet facts.
]]>There’s much to report on Monet from his eventful years on this earth, from trailblazing art techniques to personal tragedy, but who is Claude Monet? Our Canvas Art Rocks team have found out more on the prolific painter with our 5 favourite Claude Monet facts.
A native of Paris, Claude Monet was born on November 14th, 1840. Claude Monet’s parents Adolphe and Louise-Justine Monet where a greengrocer and a singer respectively.
Monet decided against following in his father’s footsteps, snubbing the family business to focus on becoming an artist instead. His full name is actually Oscar-Claude Monet, a moniker that he was given to distinguish him from his father.
Though born on Rue Lafitte in Paris, Monet’s family relocated to a seaside town in Normandy, close to Le Havre, when he was just 5 years old. This move would prove pivotal to his artistic career, as in 1851 Claude Monet joined the Le Harve School of Arts, often creating charcoal caricatures in his early years to bring in extra money for the family.
The Monet family sought refuge during the Franco-Prussian war, fleeing France for London in 1870 where he became familiar with the works of John Constable and J.M.W Turner, two painters who would influence his artistic style.
In 1871, the family arrived in the Dutch town of Zaandam from London before returning to France later that year. It was upon his return that Monet would settle in the riverside town of Argenteuil, Northwest of Paris. It would be here that Monet’s works of art would prosper and grow.
Monet and his family would eventually move to the now-famous house in Giverny in 1883, complete with a painting studio, orchards and Monet’s garden. It would be that many of Monet’s most famous paintings would gather their inspiration.
Monet and Camille Doncieux began their relationship in the mid-1860s, later marrying in 1870. Camille would be Monet’s first wife, however, she was arguably his greatest love. In fact, Monet’s second wife, Alice Hoschedé, was reported to be incredibly jealous of Camille after her death in 1879 at the age of just 32. Indeed, she was so jealous that she destroyed all of her personal letters and photographs.
Monet first met Camille when she was 19-years old while modelling for his acclaimed ‘The Woman in the Green Dress’ painting. As well as becoming his wife, she would go on to feature in over 30 of his paintings, the last of which was the powerful ‘Camille Monet on her Deathbed’ just before her passing.
During his early work with caricatures, Monet was spotted by the artist Eugene Boudin. Boudin would ultimately become Monet’s mentor, teaching him the techniques of oil painting as well as how to paint outdoors. This ‘en Plein air’ style would become the signature style seen in Claude Monet’s prints and canvases.
Though he learnt traditional techniques of oil painting, Monet’s style was anything but conventional, in fact, the majority of his artworks were not accepted by the community. Establishments such as the School of Fine Arts didn’t share his views, often openly condemning his work.
This would lead to Monet and like-minded artists such as Pierre- Auguste Renoir forming the Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors & Engravers, a movement that would later be known as ‘The Impressionists’, a moniker taken from the title of Monet’s ‘Impression, Sunrise’ painting of the port of Le Havre.
Claude Monet battled throughout his life against depression, as well as financial stress and poverty in his formative years as an artist. In 1868, while struggling to support his family and frustrated by the lack of exposure and success of his art, Monet attempted suicide. He jumped from a bridge into the Seine River, though thankfully his attempts were thwarted.
Despite these struggles, Monet went on to live a long life, he eventually passed away on the 5th of December 1926, aged 86-years old. He is buried in the Giverny cemetery not far from his famous home and the glorious gardens in which he spent so many hours during his later years.
If you’d like more information on any of our artist canvases or products featured, contact our friendly team! For more fascinating facts and interior inspiration, head on over to our Canvas Art Rocks blog page.
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Our HD Metal Art can be hung inside or outside because they are waterproof, weatherproof and scratch proof! They can hung anywhere, it can be a talking point in your living room or a stylish piece in your bedroom or even outdoor art for your garden! There is so many possibilities! Here are some of our personal favourites -
This colourful Banksy piece looks incredible with a high gloss finish to make its vibrant colours pop! Such as sleek piece that would make a stunning talking point in any room!
Bring the Beach to you! The perfect piece to contribute to the tranquility of your bedroom or guest room. Browse our huge range of Beach images to find your perfect piece of paradise.
A modern take on classic art - introducing our newest artist Albert Bierstadt. A huge range of his artwork is now available on our website across all our products including this stunning HD Metal Print!
Pay tribute to your favourite film with our minimal movie prints! With block colours and minimal design - these look incredibly effective as HD Metal Art! Our range of different designs means you are sure to find something for everyone!
This political piece combines an iconic Banksy piece with a modern finish. The neutral colours allows it to fit in with any colour scheme but innovative format makes it a statement piece!
Now you know where to hang your art, you just have to figure out how to hang it…..
Luckily our metal prints all come with an integral hanging system making it super simple for you to put your new art! All you have to do is put a nail into the wall where you want it to sit and place your HD Metal on top. No matter which size you choose it will be easy to hang and display your new metal art
Prepare yourself for lots of compliments on your stunning new wall art!
]]>You can be anything you want to be, just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be.
I’m possessed by love, but isn’t everybody?
I won't be a rock star. I will be a legend.
I like to be surrounded by splendid things
I always knew I was a star. And now, the rest of the world seems to agree with me.
The most important thing is to live a fabulous life. As long as it’s fabulous I don’t care how long it is.
I'm just a musical prostitute, my dear.
Who wants to live forever?
What will I be doing in 20 years time? I'll be dead, darling! Are you crazy?
I like to be surrounded by splendid things
Dullness is a disease.
I think my melodies are superior to my lyrics.
If I die tomorrow I will not regret. I really did everything I could.
The reason we’re successful, darling? My overall charisma, of course.
When I'm dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance.
I'm very emotional. I think I may go mad in several years time.
The whole point of Queen was to be original.
When we began, we approached it the way we did because we were not prepared to be out-of-work musicians, ever. We said either take it on as a serious commodity or don’t do it at all.
A lot of my songs are fantasy. I can dream up all kinds of things. That’s the kind of world I live in. It’s very sort of flamboyant, and that’s the kind of way I write. I love it.
. The concept of Queen is to be regal and majestic. Glamour is part of us, and we want to be dandy.
A concert is not a live rendition of our album. It’s a theatrical event.
I love the fact that I can make people happy, in any form. Even if it’s just an hour of their lives, if I can make them feel lucky or make them feel good, or bring a smile to a sour face, that to me is worthwhile.
Years ago, I thought up the name Queen. It’s just a name. But it’s regal, obviously, and sounds splendid.
Money can not buy happiness, but it can damn well give it!
The others don't like my interviews. And frankly, I don't care much for theirs.
Oh, I was not made for heaven. No, I don’t want to go to heaven. Hell is much better. Think of all the interesting people you’re going to meet down there
I was never too keen on the British music press. They've called us a supermarket hype, and they used to suggest that we didn't write our own songs.
I'm as gay as a daffodil, my dear!
I dress to kill, but tastefully.
. You know, I designed the Queen crest. I simply combined all the creatures that represent our star signs-and I don't even believe in astrology.
In the early days, we just wore black onstage. Very bold, my dear. Then we introduced white, for variety, and it simply grew and grew.
We have no such thing as a budget anymore. Our manager freaks when we show him the bill. We're lavish to the bone, but all our money goes back into the product.
I guess I've always lived the glamorous life of a star. It 's nothing new - I used to spend down to the last dime.
We're a bit flashy, but the music's not one big noise.
We've gone overboard on every Queen album. But that's Queen.
Onstage, I am a devil. But I'm hardly a social reject.
I'm hopeless with money; I simply spend what I've got.
We're a very expensive group; we break a lot of rules. It's unheard of to combine opera with a rock theme, my dear .
I have fun with my clothes onstage; it's not a concert you're seeing, it's a fashion show.
A concert is not a live rendition of our album. It’s a theatrical event
You can be anything you want to be, just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be
I'm not afraid to speak out, and say things that I want to do, or do the things that I want to do, so um, I think in the end, being natural, and being, being actually genuine is what wins.
You can have everything in the world and still be the loneliest man. And that is the most bitter type of loneliness, success has brought me world idolisation and millions of pounds. But it's prevented me from having the one thing we all need: A loving, ongoing relationship
We don't do it for the money... we do it for the music.
I am a romantic, but I do put up a barrier around myself, so it is hard for people to get in and to know the real me. I fall in love much too quickly and that results in me getting badly hurt. The problem with love is that you lose control and that is a very vulnerable state to be in. I would love to really have a beautiful relationship with somebody, but it never seems to work out. What I would like most of all is to be in a state of blissful love.
Excess is part of my nature. Dullness is a disease. I really need danger and excitement. I'm never scared of putting myself out on a limb.
I'm a very emotional person, a person of real extremes, and that's often destructive both to myself and others
Can you imagine how terrible it is when you've got everything and you're still desperately lonely? That is awful beyond words.
One year of love is better than a lifetime alone
Oh, I was not made for heaven. No, I don't want to go to heaven. Hell is much better. Think of all the interesting people you're going to meet down there
Modern paintings are like women, you'll never enjoy them if you try to understand them.
I'm so powerful in stage that I seem to have created a monster. When I'm performing I'm an extrovert, yet inside I'm a completely different man
What you must understand is that my voice comes from the energy of the audience. The better they are, the better I get
If it's planned, it's boring
I don't talk to everybody, so they don't really know the real me. I don't think anybody will.
I was born to love you with every single beat of my heart. I was born to take care of you every single day of my life
It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, I feel good, and no one's gonna stop me now.
My songs are like Bic razors. For fun, for modern consumption. You listen to it, like it, discard it, then on to the next. Disposable pop
A lot of my songs are fantasy. I can dream up all kinds of things. That's the kind of world I live in. It's very sort of flamboyant, and that's the kind of way I write. I love it
About ten years ago, I knew three chords on the guitar. Now, in 1982, I know three chords on the guitar.
I never thought of myself as the leader. The most important person, perhaps.
You either have the magic or you don't. There's no way you can work up to it
It destroys the soul to hear that you're all hype, that you have no talent, and that your whole career has been contrived.
The concept of Queen is to be regal and majestic. Glamour is part of us and we want to be dandy.
I have no aspirations of growing old and boring.
I want it all and I want it now
No age is good to get married at. You got to be a fool to get married
The bigger the better; in everything
The lavish presentation appeals to me, and I've got to convince the others.
I think Queen songs are pure escapism, like going to see a good film
I like people to go away from a Queen show feeling fully entertained, having had a good time.
I never carry money, just like the real Queen. If I fancy something in a shop I always ask someone on our staff to buy it
I like to ridicule myself. I don’t take it too seriously. I wouldn’t wear these clothes if I was serious. The one thing that keeps me going is that I like to laugh at myself.
Success has brought me world idolisation and millions of pounds. But it has prevented me from having the one thing we all need, a loving, on-going relationship. Love is Russian roulette for me
I don’t want to change the world with our music. There are no hidden messages in our songs. I like to write songs for modern consumption.
It's not a question of money anymore. I spend money like it's nothing. You know, I could be penniless tomorrow, but I'd get back, somehow.
I really need danger and excitement. I’m never scared of putting myself out on a limb.
When I look back on all the black nail varnish and stuff I think, God, what did I do? I used to feel a need for all that on stage. It made me more secure. But now I don’t. I’ve grown up a bit.
I want to lead the Victorian life, surrounded by exquisite clutter
When we began, we approached it the way we did because we were not prepared to be out-of-work musicians, ever. We said either take it on as a serious commodity or don’t do it at all.
f you see it there, darling, then it’s there.
I don’t like the way my teeth protrude. I’m going to have them done, but I just haven’t had the time. Apart from that... I’m perfect.
I am a manipulator of life
I think I’m totally original. I’m sure there are many people who see themselves in me, but that’s to them. I’m me, basically, and that’s how I like to be.
I don’t want to keep playing the same formula over and over again, otherwise you just go insane. I don’t want to become stale. I want to be creative.
I don’t want anybody to make it easy for me, which I like, because I’m a survivor. I want to work hard for it.
People are used to hard rock, energy music from Queen, yet with ['Killer Queen’] you almost expect Noel Coward to sing it. It's one of those bowler hat, black suspender belt numbers -- not that Coward would wear that
I’m a flamboyant person. I like to live life. I certainly work hard for it, and I want to have a good time. Don’t deny me that. It might not come again and I want to enjoy myself a little.
We are basically a rock band. All the lights and paraphernalia are only there to enhance what we do. I think we're good writers -- and we want to play good music, no matter how much of a slagging we get. The music is the most important factor.
I was a precocious child. My parents thought boarding school would do me good so they sent me to one when I was seven, dear. I look back on it and I think it was marvelous. You learn to look after yourself and it taught me to have responsibility.
But, you know, we spent two years putting our act together.
All my lovers asked me why they couldn't replace Mary, but it's simply impossible. The only friend I've got is Mary and I don't want anybody else. To me, she was my common-law wife. To me, it was a marriage. We believe in each other, that's enough for me.
We've all got massive egos, my dear.
We're fussy and finicky and have very high standards. If a song can't be done properly, we'd rather it isn't done at all.
My soul has painted like the wings of butterflies, fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die, I can fly, my friends...
The more you open up, the more you get hurt. So basically, I’m just riddled with scars and I just don’t want any more.
Putting people in different categories is unfair. You have to judge people on what they are.
You've got to make sure that you don't ever admit to yourself that this is your peak. If you admit to yourself that this is your peak, then you're on the way down
The whole band is very particular. We don't go in for half measures and I'm very hard with myself. There're no compromises. If I thought a song wasn't quite right, I'd discard it. I'm very intricate and delicate.
People think I'm an ogre at times. Some girls hissed at me in the street...'You devil.' They think we're really nasty. But that's only on stage. Off stage, well I'm certainly not an ogre.
I hate pockets in trousers. By the way, I do not wear a hose. My hose is my own. No coke bottle, nothing stuffed down there.
You have to have confidence in this business. It's USELESS saying you don't need it. If you start saying to yourself, 'Maybe I'm not good enough, maybe I'd better settle for second place,' it's no good. If you like the icing on the top, you've got to have confidence.
May you all have champagne for breakfast.
You've got to know where to draw the line. But the public always come first—it's a corny thing to say but I mean it. Lately I've been throwing things around which is very unlike me. I threw a glass at someone the other day. I think I'm going to go mad in a few years time; I'm going to be one of those insane musicians
To be honest. I'd like people to think there is no falsity in me because what I do is really my character. But I think mystique, not knowing the truth about someone, is very appealing. I'd be doing myself an injustice if I didn't wear makeup because some people think it's wrong. Even to talk about being gay used to be obnoxious and unheard of. But gone are those days. There's a lot of freedom today and you can put yourself across anyway you want to. But I haven't CHOSEN this image. I'm myself and in fact half the time I let the wind take me.
I play on the bisexual thing because it's something else, it's fun. But I don't put on the show because I feel I have to and the last thing I want to do is give people an idea of exactly who I am. I want people to work out their own interpretation of me and my image. I don't want to build a frame around myself and say, 'This is what I am' or 'This is all I am.
I'm very emotional. Whereas before, I was given time to make my decisions, now nearly all of us are so highly strung we just snap. We always argue but I think it's a healthy sign because we get to the root of the matter and squeeze the best out. But lately so much is happening, it's escalating so fast that everybody wants to know almost instantly, and I certainly get very temperamental.
We've always put our neck on the line. We're fussy and finicky and have very high standards. If a song can't be done properly, we'd rather it isn't done at all. We're the fussiest band in the world, and we put so much loving into every album.
We tend to work well under pressure. But do we row? Oh my dear, we're the bitchiest band on earth. You'll have to spend a couple of days with us. We're at each other's THROATS. But if we didn't disagree, we'd just be yes-men, and we do get the cream in the end.
We are in a golden age of music. There will be a time when technology becomes so advanced that we'll rely on it to make music rather than raw talent...and music will lose its soul.
Rod Stewart, Elton John and I were going to start a band called Hair, Nose and Teeth... but it hasn't happened because none of us can agree on the order of the words
I don't have any aspirations to live to 70. I don't want to sound morbid. I've lived a full life and if I'm dead tomorrow, I don't give a damn. I've done it all I really have
We’re family. We believe in each other. That’s everything.
We're four misfits who don't belong together, we're playing for other misfits. They're the outcasts right at the back of the room. We're pretty sure they don't belong either. We belong to them.'
Good thoughts, good words, good deeds.'
there’s only room in this band for one hysterical queen.
They’re not my friends, not really. They’re distractions
What more do you need to know? I make music.
]]>Here at Canvas Art Rocks, we have a huge range of wall stickers & decals. All of our stickers are made to order ensuring they are the perfect size for your wall. Take a look at our easy to follow instruction guide on how to apply wall stickers for flawless application:
Your wall sticker will have a front and back layer and come with a squeegee to use for applying to the wall.
Use the squeegee to press the wall sticker onto the application tape.
Turn the wall sticker over so the print is showing in reverse. Peel the backing paper away from the wall sticker, making sure that all of the artwork leaves the backing paper. If any of the artwork stays on the backing paper, place it back down and re-press it with the squeegee.
When you have completely removed the backing paper, you will be left with the wall sticker stuck to the application tape.
Carefully place the wall sticker onto the wall pressing gently into the top corners.
Use a spirit level to make sure the wall sticker is straight. If the wall sticker is not straight gently release from the wall and re-apply.
Run the squeegee up and down the wall sticker, push into the wall as you move it.
This action will transfer the wall sticker from the application tape to the wall.
Very carefully remove the application tape from the wall sticker by pulling it away from the wall. If the wall sticker is still attached to the application tape re-apply it to the wall using the squeegee.
As you remove the application tape the wall sticker will transfer to the wall.
Take your time removing the application tape. If any of the wall sticker does not transfer, stop and place the application tape back onto the wall.
Re-apply to the wall using the squeegee and continue to carefully pull-off the application tape.
Once the application tape has been completely removed. Use the squeegee to make sure the wall sticker is completely stuck to the wall.
Enjoy your brand-new wall sticker.
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Banksy is without doubt the world’s most famous and celebrated graffiti artist. To some, his works of art are poignant, thought-provoking, ironic and humorous. To others, they’re just plain vandalism. Whichever side of the fence you’re on, there can be no doubt that once seen, his art is unforgettable, living on in the mind – and in the public imagination: Banksy is one of the few artists who is also a household name. So let’s dive into some of the best Banksy graffiti art and street art pieces; as many as possible show the various locations of his artworks, plus Google Street Views where applicable. Here goes….
A tour of the East Coast of England reveals a collection of new Banksy Pieces. Poking fun after the COVID 19 pandemic, stay cations have become the new holiday for most brits and Banksy combines this along with political messages to create his art.
This iconic piece from the collection features a rat (another common image in Banksy's work) enjoying his 'staycation'. This piece appear at the bottom of Links Hill at North Beach Lowestoft UK.
Cromer is famous for crabs so maybe this is what inspired this piece. The council encourages people to come and see the piece before the sea naturally washes it away and has recently decided to try and preserve the piece.
An expert has said this combines messages of homelessness, refuges and the housing market with humour.
Displayed in Katwijk Way, Lowestoft on the side of a house on Denmark Road. A strategically placed skip filled with insulation pieces to look like chips. An expert commented that gulls are a common appearance in Banksy's work which is actually very fitting considering this piece is in a seaside town where seagulls terrorise the tourists.
Painted on to a model house that staff had never seen before, it would have blended straight into the village if it hadn't been for Banksy's distinctive touch...
It is now being protected by a clear box and is only on display at certain times of the day as well as being monitored by staff.
Since the work was confirmed as a Banksy, Great Yarmouth Borough Council has been protecting it, installing a Perspex cover and hiring security guards (similar to the other piece that appeared).
An art expert has said 'What he's done at Gorleston is to use a powerful silhouette at scale to intimidate anyone on the bench, but also to pay homage to one of the most memorial emblems of the arcade'.
Now being preserved by a plastic cover and watched by a security guard, this piece appeared above a bus stop in the Great Yarmouth Borough Council. The painting is life size and the council are thrilled to have it as part of their town to encourage tourism.
It depicts a child holding a crowbar next to a sand castle. An expert has said it combines playfulness and light relief with something slightly menacing.
The meaning behind it is thought to reference to the student uprising in Paris 1986 in which there was a slogan - 'sous les pavés, la plague' which means 'beneath the pavement, the beach'/ The crowbar is thought to symbolise 'a world of eviction or squatting'
Banksy strikes again in Lowestoft, a coastal town in the east of the UK. This ne work appears to show a child building a sandcastle next to a bit of dug-up road with the message written above it. It appeared on the 7th of August 2021.
It appeared on the side of a building in Barton Hill on Marsh Lane overnight on Thursday (13 February 2020), with residents discovering it on the side of a house around 6.20am.This piece features a child – potentially Cupid – which many noted is similar to previous works painted by Banksy, with a slingshot.
Spotted in the early hours of Monday 1st March on the side of Reading prison. It shows a man dressed in a striped prisoner’s uniform scaling the side of the building on a knotted rope.Beneath the man, the chain is shown to be made of paper and coming out of a typewriter.Some have said that the man is meant to represent Irish poet Oscar Wilde, who was imprisoned at the jail from 1895 to 1897 on charges of gross indecency with other men.Following his release from the prison, Wilde wrote the poem “The Ballad of Reading Gaol” about a hanging that took place while he served his sentence, which could link to the typewriter.
Spotted by Tristan Kay, a senior lecturer at University of Bristol this piece appeared on the wall of a semi-detached house on Vale Street in Totterdown. It depicts a woman sneezing and dropping her bag.
Recently claimed by Banksy, this piece appeared on Ilkeston Road in Radford. It shows a young girl hula hooping with a bicycle wheel with the real bicycle chained to a lamp post next to the piece. A local shop owner spoke about how a blacked out van appeared at the spot on a Tuesday evening seemingly pretending to be broken down but stayed there for around 2 hours.They said the man from the van bought two Ribenas from their shop and, when they asked who the artist was, the man simply “winked”.
Banksy’s very own team of reindeer painted on a wall in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, pulling a bench that homeless people use as a bed appeared this Christmas. Rather than exploit ‘the homeless’, this painting empowers rough sleepers to draw attention to their individuality - this message was underlined in a video posted to Banksy's Instagram along with the ironic song "I'll Be Home for Christmas".The video now has over 3.7 million views
This appeared in Italian city’s Dorsoduro district where it was first spotted during the venice biennale 2019 art fair. The artwork portrays a migrant child wearing a lifejacket and holding a neon pink flare.
A Banksy artwork showing MP's in the Houses of Common as chimpanzees is now on display at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery to mark Brexit Day. The piece named "Devolved Parliament" was created over 10 years ago.
Christmas has come early in Port Talbot. Banksy has struck with his latest piece named 'Season's Greetings'. Positioned on two sides of a garage, at first the image depicts a child playing in the snow. On the other side of the garage it is clear to see that the 'snow' is in fact ash from a burning bin.
Guest where left stunned at the sight of a one million pound Banksy piece shred itself just moments after being sold. The question on everyone's lips... Was Banksy there?
Many people believe that this piece stems from the Bristol riots back in the early 1980’s, but according to Jim Paine in the book “Home Sweet Home” that isn’t true at all. In the late 90’s in Bristol there were many free, unlicensed parties at various warehouses across the city. There was trouble at one such party at Winterstoke Road, where according to Jim “Many of the crowd that night were assaulted by police…it marked the beginning of a more hardline approach from the police, using violence as a method of breaking up parties“. The “Mild Mild West” was painted by Banksy on the side of a building in Stokes Croft, Bristol and was done over the course of 3 days in broad daylight. It remains there to this day. Mild Mild West location.
This appeared in Jerusalem in 2003 and is perhaps one of Banksy’s most well-known pieces. To many people it is a symbol of peace and hope in the face of adversity and destruction. The masked rioter is throwing not a “Molotov Cocktail” but a bunch of flowers and the image was featured heavily in Banksy’s 2005 book entitled “Wall and Piece”.
This was one of Banksy’s largest pieces, appearing in London in 2008. How he managed to pull this off is still something of a mystery because he erected 3 storeys of scaffolding (behind a security fence) seemingly under the watchful gaze of a CCTV camera, which was positioned just to the right of this shot. The message of the graffiti is heavily ironic, given the context. It has since been removed. One Nation Under CCTV location
(Image credit: Wikipedia)
The Thekla boat in Bristol was originally tagged by Banksy in 2003. The moored nightclub boat’s owners posted an image of the “tag” on their website and asked their customers whether it should stay. The response was to keep it, but Bristol City Council later ordered its removal. Years after its removal, Banksy returned and re-painted the Grim Reaper in the same spot where it remains to this day. Grim Reaper (Thekla) location
(Image credit: Bristol Post)
This is perhaps one of the most famous of all Banksy pieces and shows a man hanging from a window after his clandestine affair looks set to be discovered by his mistress’s husband. With typical Banksy irony, it was daubed on the side of a sexual health clinic in Frogmore Street, although according to the clinic’s director in the book “Home Sweet Home“, when Banksy was told this by email he responded to say that hadn’t realised it was a sexual health clinic and thought it was really funny. In the last few years the graffiti was unfortunately vandalised with
(Image credit: Bristol Street Art Blog)
The Steam Roller Traffic Warden appeared on a steam roller parked at the kerbside in Lewisham, London in 2009 and is less thought-provoking, more plain amusing. Let’s face it, nobody likes traffic wardens (right?!) so this is a highly comical piece made even more amusing by the way the warden throws his arms up in the air.
(Image credit: Art With Zoe and Emma)
In one of the more unusually-placed positions, the white-stencilled words “This is not a Photo Opportunity” appear approximately 40 metres up a steep, rocky path just off Cliff Road (B3135) in the picturesque Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. It first appeared in around 2004 and although it has weathered significantly since then it’s outline is still visible. This is not a Photo Opportunity – approx location
The picture of a young girl hugging a bomb to her chest was one of Banksy’s original creations back in 2003, where it was reproduced on a wall in London’s East End. The piece symbolises the horror of war next to the innocence and purity of the young girl – good and evil unified and questioned as to why we inherently indulge in war and fighting when peace can be all around us. Thought-provoking stuff.
(Image credit: Banksy Unmasked)
This “Snorting Copper” stencil began appearing from 2005 in several places in London, including behind Waterloo Station (Leake Street) as well as in Shoreditch (Curtain Street). The artworks also included several miles of paint “dribble” which trailed through the city and led to the stencil representing a ‘line’ of coke. This piece by Banksy is unquestionably a dig at the immorality and corruption sometimes prevalent in the police force. Perhaps not too surprisingly, this piece was removed. Snorting Copper – approx location (Leake Street)
Possibly one of the most recognisable Banksy artworks, Sweep it Under the Carpet appeared on a wall on Chalk Farm Road, North London in around 2006. It shows a woman dressed as a maid who is sweeping dirt under the cover of a brick wall. The piece is said to represent the reluctance of the western world to deal with global issues such as the AIDS epidemic, amongst others. Sweep it Under the Carpet – approx location
A woman washing zebra stripes was painted by Banksy in the capital city of Mali, Timbuktu and shows a “naked” zebra standing by as his stripes are hung up to dry by an African lady. There appears to be little in the way of any obvious meaning to this piece. It is a playful piece, but maybe the fact that it appeared in the drought-ridden country of Mali and the absurdity of using water in such a frivolous way points to an issue that perhaps the western world could, and should, do more to help impoverished people in the developing world.
The theme of weapons and children is a recurring one in Banksy’s pieces. This child soldier bearing a machine gun appeared in Westwood, Los Angeles in 2011 on a wall of “Urban Outfitters” although it didn’t last long before it was vandalised with paint. The piece is no doubt an attempt to highlight the corrupted innocence of children and it is not uncommon to see children brandishing guns and involved in conflicts in highly volatile parts of the world. Child Soldier location
(Image credit: Banksy)
The war on terror was declared soon after 9/11. This Banksy piece is intended to highlight the “secrer” war on terror that has taken place – primarily at Guantanamo Bay where terror suspects are detained. This Guantanamo Bay detainee in Islington is a less than subtle reminder that we do not live an entirely free society. The image has since been removed although its precise location in Islington is unknown.
(Image credit: Banksy)
“No Ball Games” first appeared in Turnpike Lane, North London, in 2009 but was later removed in July 2013 by a private organisation called “Sincura Group” in order to display it at the “Stealing Bansky” exhibition, a private collection of original Banksy works. Sincura Group have claimed that they have made no profit from the exhibition. The same group were also responsible for removing Banksy’s Slave Labour piece (see next item) which appeared close by in Wood Green in 2012. Banksy himself has made it clear he has no links with either the group or the exhibition. Banksy No Ball Games location.
(Image credit: Banksy)
This graffiti piece was produced by Banksy to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and shows a child labourer working to produce union jack bunting in celebration of the event. The work did not last long and was removed in early February 2013. As with “No Ball Games”, Sincura Group were involved in its removal and they claimed to have at least three big bids for the piece. The owner of the store on whose wall the graffiti was placed has never commented. Banksy Slave Labour location.
(Image credit: Banksy)
First appearing on a pub wall in Brighton, UK in 2004, Banksy’s “Kissing Coppers” was a a piece that was one in the eye for the for the police (who Banksy frequently taunts) as well as to homophobes. The siting of this graffiti was probably most deliberate given that Brighton is well-known for its large gay population. The work was removed in February 2014 following repeated vandal attempts and the pub owner was able to orchestrate a sale to a private buyer in Miami for a sum believed to be in the region of half a million dollars. Banksy Kissing Coppers location.
This graffiti piece of a police sniper crouching on top of a building with a boy standing behind him about to give him a loud surprise courtesy of a paper bag was visible in Bristol for several years and could be seen opposite the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) and Bristol Children’s Hospital buildings. In 2012 it was defaced and eventually replaced with another graffiti artwork of the Queen masquerading as a David Bowie alter ego, which many thought (incorrectly) to be a Banksy work but was in fact produced by a local Bristol artist. This latter piece is shown in the location view. Banksy Police Sniper location.
Several of these appeared in Bristol, most notably on Hotwell Road where this photo was taken. As with “Bomb Hugger” this image mixes the innocence of children (in this case a children’s entertainer) with weaponry and destruction to demonstrate that innocence can easily be shattered and trust broken. Banksy Clown with Guns location (approximate)
Mocking world leaders and notorious dictators is typical fodder for Banksy, and the ex-Soviet premier Lenin got this punk-style mohican makeover way back in 1997 where it appeared outside a public toilet in Weston-super-Mare, approximately ten miles from Banksy’s stamping ground of Bristol.
Staying on the subject of Lenin, ever wondered how he’d look on roller blades? Well, this is how it would look, as originally created by Banksy in 2003 and entitled Lenin on Rollerblades (Who Put the Revolution on Ice?). The original piece was sold off at auction by Bonhams.
An eye-catching stencil by Banksy depicting a girl being grabbed by the robotic arm of a cash machine, this piece of work has been revisited by Banksy and is reported to have first appeared in its current state in May 2007 close to Exmouth Market in North London. The message appears to be anti-capitalist, with Banksy perhaps taking a swipe at high street banks luring customers in. Cash Machine Girl location.
Banksy’s ‘Gangsta Rat’ character has appeared at various locations, but perhaps the most well documented ‘Gangsta Rat’ is the one in the picture here, which was first spotted at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London in 2006. The rat, who is indeed looking rather ‘gangster’ with his chain and baseball cap, was later sold at auction. Gangsta Rat location (approximate).
(Image credit: Prancing Through Life)
A rather sad-looking working class painter has painted the words ‘follow your dreams’ before having the word ‘cancelled’ stamped over in a rather striking rectangular box. This piece was originally stencilled in May 2010 on the back of the Shabu Shabu Restaurant in Chinatown, Boston. Follow Your Dreams – Cancelled location (Approximate).
(Image credit: Banksy)
Little is known about this stencil, besides the fact that it first appeared in London. The rats that are a recurring theme among the work of Banksy are said to be inspired by Blek Le Rat, a Parisian street artist who stencilled iconic images in the streets of Paris beginning in the 1980s – many of his pieces also featured similar rats.
This piece, depicting a security guard officer with a dog on a leash consisting of a pink balloon, was discovered at the rear of a police headquarters in the province of Ontario, Canada. Sadly, it was vandalised just a few days later – with a dodo supposedly being drawn on the officer’s face!
Very little is known about this ‘Rodeo Cowboy Kid’, besides the fact that it is believed to have surfaced in New York. With a knack for making almost anything funny, Banksy turned an innocuous chip in the plastering of a wall into a work of art depicting a boy riding a bull like a cowboy.
Arguably Banksy’s most iconic piece, it appeared in South Bank, London in around 2002. The words ‘There Is Always Hope’ are written just behind a young girl, who can be seen reaching for a balloon in the shape of a heart. Intense debate has raged on over the years regarding the true meaning of this stencil, with a variety of ideas involving love, innocence and – obviously – hope.
The origins of this particular image are shroud in mystery, but it is thought that ‘The Thinker Monkey’ first appeared on canvas rather than on the streets. It seems that Banksy could be poking fun at humans for believing that they are the only intelligent beings, or perhaps it’s just a bit of a general laugh because you don’t see a monkey deep in thought every day!
(Image credit: The Guy in the Grey Scarf)
Rumoured to be a work of Banksy but possibly not, this piece was supposedly discovered in Melbourne. It shows a homeless man who appears to be asking for change but not in the physical change – as he says, he wants social change rather than coinage. Regardless of whoever actually produced this, it’s a striking piece with a deep meaning.
One of Banksy’s more ‘meaningful’ artworks, this was discovered in Fitzrovia (London) in April 2011. It features a rat with red paint on his paw and a paw print on the wall next to him. He stands under the phrase ‘If Graffiti Changed Anything It Would Be Illegal’. It appears to be a swipe at the government due to its reference to an Emma Goldman quote: ‘If voting ever changed anything, it would be illegal’. She campaigned for Women’s rights and voting, and Banksy could be highlighting the fact that each individual vote may rarely change anything. If Graffiti Changed Anything It Would Be Illegal location.
Although this is widely believed to be a work of Banksy when it appeared outside a pub in Bristol and is supposedly one of Banksy’s most famous pieces, the ‘Panda With Guns’ is probably not a work of Banksy at all. Some people attribute it to a French artist by the name of Julien Fanton D’Andon, who purportedly produced it for a record label called ‘Bad Panda’. Whether or not this is a Banksy, the ‘Pandas with Guns” just cannot be left out of this list!
This was produced in around April 2010 during a tour of San Francisco by Banksy. The message here beyond its literal meaning is quite unclear, with a boy holding a paint brush next to the words ‘This’ll look nice when it’s framed’. Unfortunately, the piece has since been removed. This’ll Look Nice When It’s Framed location.
(Image credit: Art Magazin)
Graffiti Is a Crime is the first of Banksy’s pieces from his month long ‘residency’ in New York City in October 2013. The piece incorporates his distinctive stencil technique and pokes fun at the law by incorporating an anti-graffiti sign. However, within hours of it being posted on Banksy’s Instagram profile the sign which played an integral part of the piece had been stolen and by the next day city officials had painted over the work. The piece was located in the city’s Allen Street. Graffiti is a Crime location
(Image credit: Banksy)
Keith Haring Dog, which was discovered in October 2010 in Bermondsey, London, pays tribute to legendary street artist Keith Haring. There is a juxtaposition of the hooded boy in Banksy’s dark and menacing stencil style and the more playful look of iconic stylized dog that Haring made famous in the 1980’s. The owner of the building which this piece adorns has attempted to preserve it with a clear perspex overlay. Keith Haring Dog location
Flying Balloon Girl is perhaps one of Banksy’s most well known artworks. It was painted on a wall on the West Bank in Israel in 2005 and carries a poignant political message. Many believe that the piece signifies the children trapped by the conflict between Israelis and Palestine’s who are longing to fly away to freedom.
This Banksy piece first appeared on the side of a clothing shop in Toronto in around early May 2010. It depicts a salesman and no doubt aims a dig at a capitalist society where respect for people can often be viewed as less important than commodities. The graffiti lasted only a couple of days before it was painted over by store staff. 0% Interest in People location.
This iconic piece of Banksy artwork first appeared as part of an exhibit in Bristol titled ‘Banksy Versus Bristol Museum’. The original version of Don’t Forget Your Scarf Dear was displayed in an old fashioned style of frame on a sepia mount, the only pop of colour being the son’s bright red scarf. Critics state that while this is not one of Banksy’s more subversive artworks it expresses a simple ideal : that a child should be loved and accepted for what he or she is not because the fit with society’e expectations. It is unclear whether or not this is an outdoor reproduction by Banksy himself or one of many photo-shopped versions with quotes and slogans attached.
Drunk Angel was first spotted on London Bridge although it has since been painted over. It shows a fallen angel, tied and weary. The bottle suggests alcohol and the angel is also smoking. Banksy seems to be saying that despite his best efforts the angel has failed and ended up turning to substance abuse.
Originally painted close to the Houses of Parliament in London, the original version of Banksy’s Soldiers Painting the CND sign was confiscated for allegedly breaking laws regarding protests in this area. It has been suggested that it represents the repression of free speech as well as acting as an anti-war protest. The piece was recreated and displayed in a collection at the Tate Britain gallery in 2007.
Injured Buddha was a feature of the 2008 Cans Festival in London which took place in Leake Street – affectionately known as ‘Banksy Tunnel’. Other artists were invited to join Banksy in creating works of art during the festival. The work shows Buddha with a bandaged hand and facial wounds to symbolize the triumph of the mind over emotion. Injured Buddha location
Ghetto Boy caused something of a stir when it appeared in Hackney in 2009 . It was one of 2 new Banksy pieces discovered in the London area (the other being Last Graffiti) after the artist took a short hiatus from creating new works. Unfortunately this piece has since been removed. Ghetto Boy depicted a small boy in street clothes clutching a ghetto blaster and a teddy bear, with the pavement beneath painted as a dance mat. It is believed this was a comment on gang culture in the area which had seen an increase in child involvement around that time. Ghetto Boy location
One Original Thought is located in Brooklyn, New York on the corner of Jay Street and Water Street. It combines Banksy’s signature style with a quote from philosopher Dioenes of Sinope. A young boy appears to be sitting on an upturned waste basket while writing the quote in red crayon. One Original Thought location
Located in a car park on Broadway, Downtown LA, Swing Girl is another example of Banksy making use of what was already there. The ‘ing’ portion of the parking sign have been whitewashed out to form park and a girl on a swing added to the letter A. It seems clear that it is a comment on how there is a lack of places for kids to play safely in what is a fairly rough area of LA. The artwork appeared in 2010 a few days prior to the LA première of Banksy’s film Exit Through The Gift Shop. Swing Girl location
Bubble Slide Girl was painted on the wall of a youth club in Hackney, East London in February 2008. It depicts a little girl using a drain pipe as a slide while blowing bubbles. The image shows the girl adapting to her surroundings and finding a playground in an unlikely place, just as society continues to adapt to difficulties in the world around us. Unfortunately this particular example of Banksy’s work has now been removed with only a faint outline still visible. Bubble Girl location
There is some debate over whether or not Secured is actually a genuine Banksy artwork. It appeared on a boarded up window of a building in Concert Street, Liverpool and pokes fun at companies who use cheap migrant workers for jobs such as security guards. The full text reads “Secured – by sleepy migrant workers on minimum wage”. The board was exhibited at the Stealing Banksy exhibition, but as this was not done in partnership with Banksy and none of that displayed artworks were authenticated by Banksy or his representative Pest Control this does not prove that this is a genuine Banksy. Secured location
Gorilla Artist or Shave Kong as it is sometimes known was created as part of the Cans Festival in 2008. The festival takes place in Leake Street tunnel and celebrates street art of all types. This is a designated graffiti area and as such it is unlikely that Shave Kong is still visible. Shave Kong Location.
Government Spies appeared on the side of a house in Cheltenham in April 2014. The mural depicts mysterious 1950’s style agents listening in on a telephone box in reference to former CIA agent Edward Snowdon exposed techniques used by several agencies. The house on which the mural was painted is close to GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) which is the UK equivalent of America’s NSA. The piece was sold by the home owner to a private collector who is preparing to remove the mural, but as of 2 July the local council have placed a stop order on the work for one month. Government Spies Location.
The cleverest thing about Banksy’s Girl and Mouse (also known as Girl on Stool) is the little mouse. The natural decay of the masonry has been used by adding a tail and ears. The piece was created by Banksy on a visit to New Orleans in 2008 along with many others in the city. This piece is still visible although it is fairly faded and the girl has had other graffiti tagged over her. Girl and Mouse location.
In an attack on consumerism, Banksy created Napalm Girl in 2004. It features a reproduction of an iconic photograph of a young girl during a napalm bombing in Vietnam in the seventies. In Banksy’s version the terrified naked girl is caught between Ronald McDonald and Mickey Mouse. The piece was created on cartridge paper and has been exhibited internationally in many different galleries.
Girl and a Soldier is one of the 2007 pieces that Banksy put up on a wall in Bethlehem. The innocent little girl is seen frisking an armed soldier in a stark reversal of roles. This along with other images on the wall were intended to promote the annual Santa’s Ghetto exhibit. The piece is still visible although somewhat faded.Girl and a Soldier location
Discovered towards the end of 2011, Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is currently out of stock appears on the side of an empty building believed to be a failed housing project stalled by the recession. It is still visible today although it has some streaks of black paint over it. Sorry! The Lifestyle You Ordered is Currently out of Stock location.
In early December 2011, Love Plane appeared in Wapping Street London. However, the artwork was removed just a few days later leaving no trace. A near identical piece featuring white smoke rather than red later appeared in Liverpool the same week and is still visible. Love Plane (Liverpool) location.
Cameraman and Flower appeared on the wall of a Park City coffee shop in the lead up to the premier of Banksy’s film at Sundance in 2010. It represents the lengths people go to in order to preserve beauty, but often lead to it’s destruction as in this case where the cameraman has uprooted the flower in order to film it. Cameraman and Flower location.
Hammer Boy was the piece created on Day 20 of Banksy’s ‘New York Residency’ in 2013. Once again Banksy makes use of existing features and adds his distinctive stencil style to bring them to life. Several attempts to deface the piece have been thwarted. Hammer Boy location.
This big cat, dubbed a ‘Tagular’ thanks to the pattern made up of various symbols and tags is titled Bronx Zoo and was Day 30 of Banksy’s Better Out Than In residency in New York during October 2013. It appeared opposite Yankee Stadium but was quickly painted over, although parts are still visible. Bronx Zoo location.
Peaceful Hearts Doctor appeared on a wall in San Francisco in 2010. The piece shows an old fashioned style doctor along with a free hand heart and peace symbol. The artwork was covered with Plexiglass to preserve it, but vandals have since poured black paint inside it which has damaged the doctor. Peaceful Hearts Doctor location.
Pissing Guard (also known as Queen’s Guard Pissing) is said to represent how the authorities control the public. The distinctive guards are most often seen at Buckingham Palace and are known for not being able to move while on duty so it is strange to see one in this position – urinating on a street corner.
In Summer 2011 one story dominated the British headlines – phone and voicemail hacking by journalists. This visual pun is a tongue in cheek take on that making use of an existing tap on the wall and proclaiming “Oh no.. my tap’s been phoned”. Tap Phoned location.
All of the New Orleans Banksy artworks are fiercely guarded and Umbrella Girl is no different. As of early 2014 Umbrella girl has been covered with plyboard and has a guard round the clock following an attempt to cut the art work out of the wall. Umbrella Girl location.
Once again Banksy has used existing feature to enhance his work. Here the double yellow lines of the road are extended across the pavement and up the wall where they bloom into a flower. The pavement lines have been removed and the painter’s face is mostly obscured with newer graffiti, but the flower is still clear. Yellow Lines Flower Painter location.
Another Park City piece came as something of a surprise when it was uncovered months after its creation when the snow melted in Spring 2010. Rats are frequently used by Banksy in his work. This one is hard to spot due to it being on a planter at ground level on the Main street. Rat 3D Glasses location.
This Banksy was discovered on the busy Holland Park Roundabout in the Shepherd’s Bush area of London. It showed the silhouette of a little boy in the act of painting the slogan. This has since been whitewashed and is no longer visible. Take This Society location.
In 2005, Banksy designed the cover art for Blur’s seventh studio album ‘Think Tank’. This led many to accuse Banksy of selling out, but nevertheless it is a great example of his work. Ironically, due to a ban on all graffiti related posters by London Transport, Blur had difficulty advertising the album thanks to Banksy’s cover art!
This piece in New Orleans is a comment on the alleged looting that took place all over the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This piece has since been damaged and painted over, but the buildings owner has had it removed and is looking to restore it to its former glory. Looting Soldiers location.
In the run up to the London 2012 Olympics, Banksy created 2 Olympic themed artworks. This one known as ‘Welcome to Hackney’ or ‘Javelin Thrower’ shows an athlete throwing a missile. This is in protest of the decision to add surface to air missile launchers on top of some residential tower blocks in the city as part of the security measures during the games. The location was closely guarded to avoid it being removed.
If First You Don’t Succeed.. features a young man in a gas mask accompanied by the words “If at first you don’t succeed – call an airstrike”. It was discovered in San Francisco and is believed to be poking fun at America’s perceived willingness to call an airstrike on any country who won’t cooperate with them. If At First You Don’t Succeed location.
Often people will go to extraordinary lengths to preserve a Banksy artwork and in the case of the ‘I’m Out Of Bed Rat’ this is particularly true. It was originally painted on a Stucco wall in Los Angeles in 2002, but this began to deteriorate and so it was removed in 2013 and transported to Brooklyn and then on to Italy to be restored.
This particular Banksy lasted only 4 months from May 2008 to August 2008. It was created in Leake Street Tunnel (also known as Banksy Tunnel) a designated graffiti area. It was soon covered with other works, such is the ever changing nature of the tunnel. It is an ironic piece that showed ancient cave paintings being cleaned by a council worker, highlighting how art is often destroyed by those who don’t understand it. Is Banksy referencing the destruction of his own work?
Simple, yet Iconic this is one of the most well known Banksy artworks. It highlights that a blank wall is just empty space until it is decorated! There has been some debate over whether or not Banksy painted this or another street artist called Form, however it is widely accepted as a Banksy.
This fake quote from Plato was part of Banksy’s Better Out Than In residency in New York during October 2013. It appeared in Brooklyn on Day 8. The quote appeared on a door which has since been removed completely. Fake Plato Quote location.
Banksy is no stranger to controvery, but sometimes it is not the pieces of his art you would expect that prove to be the most divisive. Tox is one of those pieces. In June 2011, graffiti lover Daniel Halpin, aka Tox was convicted of tagging multiple locations over a three year period. The prosecution mocked him as ‘no Banksy’ due to a lack of artistry in his tagging. In response Banksy put up the piece which shows a little boy writing ‘Tox’ in bubbles. Opinion is split as to whether this is a show of solidarity or being used to poke fun at Halpin. Location of Tox.
Banksy’s Thug For Life Bunny was originally in London, but has since been painted over. In typical Banksy style the cute bunny seems at odds with the cigar and excessive bling more suited to hip hop artists. Perhaps it is a comment on how the younger generations are being lured into this ‘thug’ lifestyle that is glamorized in the media?
Very Little Helps, appeared on London’s Essex Road in 2008 and features children saluting as another child runs a Tesco branded carrier bag up a flagpole. From time to time, pranksters would also add a real Tesco bag to the mural. Very Little Helps Location.
Banksy seems to be making a comment about how society views street artists like him. While the stereotypical graffiti artist is masked and hooded, some have good intentions. In this mural, the gas mask is on the sinister side, but instead of the artists face, we see a bright and sunny field of sunflowers.
No Trespassing features an Native American Indian sitting on the ground, lamenting the intrusion of the white man and the troubles they brought with them. It appears on a wall in the Mission District of San Francisco in 2010 but was soon marred by other graffiti tags and has now been completely painted over in March 2011. No Trespassing Location.
Many consider No Future to be one of Banksy’s most poignant pieces of art. It appeared on the wall of a private residence in Southampton, but was painted over in November 2010 just one week after discovery. The letter O in the caption doubles as a balloon giving the viewer a dose of irony since balloons are more often a cause of joy for children.
I Love You is one of Banksy’s more simplistic pieces and yet it is one of his most striking. The words ‘I Love You’ are accompanied by an hour glass with a heart shaped pile of sand trickling out of the top part. Does love have a shelf life? Apparently so as this piece which was in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight in 2010 has been painted over.
Forgive us our trespassing was one of several pieces completed in the run up to the premiere of Banksy’s ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ at the 2010 Sundance Festival in Utah. It shows a young boy seemingly seeking forgiveness for his act of Vandalism and some suggest it refers to Banksy’s own conflicted feelings about his work. Several versions of the boy were seen around Salt Lake City and Park City, but this particular one was painted over.
Flower Aerial Girl, in Los Angeles, features a young girl in silouhette tending a television aerial in the same manner as one would a pot of flowers. The aerial appears to have grown and has sprouted leaves suggesting that the more kids pay attention to TV, the more influence it cultivates. The piece remained relatively untouched on a gas station in Valero until the owner cut it out of the wall and auctioned it for a healthy sum.
This is the earliest known Banksy in the Chicago area and is well preserved despite the city’s hard line policy when it comes to removing street art. The baby carriage is seen falling down stairs, which are actually the remnants of where real stairs once stood. Baby Carriage Location.
Banksy’s Abraham Lincoln is another of the works that appeared in the city around the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and all of them seemed to comment on the slow reconstruction of the city. Banksy represented Lincoln as a homeless man, but the dilapidated building that it was once painted on is long gone.
This tongue in cheek piece appeared in Los Angeles in 2006 and clearly pokes fun at the large numbers of girls on MySpace who used flattering angles and photo editing to make themselves appear more attractive. It depicts an old lady with the comment ‘You Looked Better on Myspace’.
Another of Banksy’s New Orleans works sees a realistic version of Bart Simpson writing lines as seen in the title sequence of The Simpsons cartoon series. The work seems almost prophetic given that Banksy went on to create an opening sequence for the show later. New Orleans is protective of Banksy and the piece is covered by a board. Location of I Must Not Copy What I See On The Simpsons.
This Banksy work was found in Hastings and depicts a young child building sandcastles. This in itself is not controversial, but when we notice that Tesco is printed on the sandcastles it takes on a new meaning. Consumerism is a common theme in Banksy’s work and here he seems to be indicating that the supermarket giant is taking over the country! The artwork is still visible on the Sea wall although it has been defaced by other graffitti artists. Approximate location of Tesco Sandcastle.
Banksy enjoys putting people and objects in unexpected scenarios and here the usually menacing stormtroopers appear somewhat comical in their setting as camera man an presenters. It seems fitting that this piece was part of a larger mural found in Hollywood – home of the movies! There is still some debate over whether or not this is in fact a Banksy or the work of another artists going by ‘Mr Brainwash’.
Banksy is usually most well known for his 2 dimensional graffiti art, but from time to time his installations also cause something of a stir. This broken telephone box appeared overnight in a Soho street complete with an axe and pool of blood. The piece featured in Banksy’s “Exit Throguh The Gift Shop” film, but did it represent the death of phone communication thanks to the birth of social media or did BT get it right when the embraced the work as a representation of their change away from the iconic red phoneboxes to a more modern design.
Robot and Barcode is another of the pieces from Banksy’s ‘Better Out Than In’ residency in New York during October 2013. This piece was found on Day 28 in Coney Island. Robot and Barcode Location.
Banksy’s Space Girl With Bird was one of the pieces commissioned for Blur’s album Think Tank and appears on the cover of a free supplement cd sample given out with The Observer newspaper. The art work originally appeared on a wall in Chicago.
Smiley Grim Reaper shows a lighter side of death with the familiar hooded figure being given a yellow smiley face. The piece is still visible although several tags have been layered over it. Smiley Grim Reaper Location.
Banksy is well known for his use of rats and this particular example discovered in Wall street in 2008 is a great example. In a play on the famous quote attributed to Marie Antoinette, he proclaimss “let them eat crack” in commentary on the public outrage at how financial matters were being handled around the time. Needless to say it was soon painted over!
Banksy’s London Calling was a take on the album cover of the same name by The Clash. It shows a figure smashing an office chair on the floor in place of the usual guitar. Location of London Calling.
One of the works that has appeared in Banksy’s home town of Bristol is his rendition of beloved character Winnie the Pooh depicted caught in a bear trap with a pot of money on the ground rather than his usual honey!
Old Skool has always been a firm favorite amongst fans of Banksy’s work. The piece was situated in London’s Clerkenwell Road and showed old people engaging in the type of loitering usually expected from young people! There was some degree of mystery surrounding the piece in 2008 when it was painted over and replaced with a cut out stencil saying “collected” There is some debate as to whether or not the work was removed from the wall or painted over.
Another of the New Orleans pieces from Banksy shows a marching band wearing gas masks. The building that it appeared on has since been demolished, but it was one of the most iconic of Banksy’s work in the city.
Banksy’s Fridge Kite shows a child flying a kite, but it is actually a fridge. It has been suggested that this represents hunger and poverty. However, the child is still finding a way to be a child despite this. This work has since been destroyed.
I Remember When All This Was Trees caused a great deal of controversy when it appeared on the derelict Packard auto-mobile plat in Detroit. There had been ongoing debates over who was responsible for the costs of cleaning up the abandoned site so it probably should not have come as a surprise that the appearance of the Banksy also sparked debates surrounding ownership. Ultimately the piece was removed and can now be seen on display at the 555 Gallery. l Remember When All This Was Trees location.
The original version of Ice Cream Bomb was painted on a wall at Brighton Beach in 2004, but a second version on a wooden palette was later displayed in a London gallery.
This makes up half of a two part piece of art, with the green ‘skipping rope’ snaking across the ground and connecting to the electric box in another Banksy painting. It was originally found in Brooklyn but was painted over after falling victim to ‘The Splasher’ and individual who goes around splashing paint on street art.
Kentucky Fox shows the silhouette of a fox dragging away the colonel’s head (of KFC fame). The mural appeared in 2009 close to Angel Tube. Kentucky Fox location.
Banksy is know for tackling controversial issues and his KKK mural is no different. It shows a man in KKK garb hanging. The painting appeared on the wall of an abandoned gas station, but was quickly painted over.
Last Graffiti Before Motorway appeared at the junction of the North Circular Road and the A1 leaving North London in 2009. However it was soon vandalised and has since been removed from the wall.
Love Is The Answer is often attributed to ‘Mr Brainwash’ aka Thierry Guetta who became famous through Banksy’s film Exit Through the Gift Shop. It is a representation of Einstein holding a placard bearing the words “love is the answer’.
Banksy has reinterpreted the Mona Lisa on a number of occasions, but perhaps this version where she is seen flashing her backside is the most fun! However, it turns out that this is not Banksy’s work at all, but rather that of artist Nick Walker.
Banksy’s No Ball Games Rat features a rat bouncing a ball below an existing ‘no ball games sign.’ Rats are one of the things that Banksy uses often and they have become something of a trademark. This particular rat was removed by thieves and put up for sale on eBay!
Another of Banksy’s rats shows a rat with a barrel of toxic waste spilling across the pavement. Several copies have been seen around LA, but none have been confirmed as being by Banksy. This original one is now barely visible.
TV Through Window was at the time of writing still in existence albeit behind some plywood boards. It shows a tv set being thrown through a broken window. TV Through Window location.
(Image credit: BBC)
Mobile Phone Lovers caused a stir when it appeared close to a boys club in Banksy’s home town of Bristol. The owner of the club removed the door with the intention of using it to raise funds for his club, but it was taken from him by the local council who claimed ownership. However the issue was resolved when Banksy himself sent a letter to the club seeming to condone his choice to use it as a fundraiser. Mobile Phone Lovers location
Banksy’s Waiting in Vain is another part of his New York residency ‘Better Our Than In’. It appeared on the roll down shutters of Larry Flint’s Hustler club and depicts a man with flowers who has apparently been stood up – perhaps by one of the dancers?. The shutter has been removed for display inside the club. Waiting in Vain Location.
Banksy’s Better Out Than In pieces in New York have met with some differing opinions. Many New Yorkers love them while others deem them acts of vandalism. However, with Ghetto for Life which appeared in the Bronx, the majority of residents found the work to be offensive saying that it helps to perpetuate stereotypes. It seems many have focused on the words and not the artwork which depicts a little boy spraying the words and being waited on by a butler. Banksy seems to be saying that the ‘ghetto’ image is just that – an image used for style purposes. That didn’t stop people flocking to see it and the building’s owner employed guards to protect it! Ghetto for Life location.
(Image credit: Street Art News)
Banksy’s Better Out Than In is believed to be something of a preview created to promote his New York Residency of the same name the following month. It play of the graffiti term ‘throw up’ my showing a boy vomiting (throwing up), but the vomit is comprised of existing flowers growing up the wall.
On day 15 of the Better Out Than In tour, Banksy’s posted a controversial tribute to the September 11 attacks. He painted a silhouette of the twin towers and added an orange flower to represent the explosion. Location of Twin Towers
Banksy posted This Is My New York Accent on Day 2 of Better Out Than In and used a combination of typical graffiti style writing and more usual text. He seemed to be highlighting the fact that he is just visiting the city. This is My New York Accent location.
The introduction of a ‘stop and search’ policy allowing Police to search any young people they deemed may be up to no good was met with much criticism so it is no surprise to see Banksy weigh in on the debate. Policeman Searching Girl appeared in Glastonbury in 2007 showing a young girl with a teddy being frisked by a policeman. It has since been painted out.
This is one of the lesser known Banksy pieces in the San Francisco area. It depicts Osama Bin Laden sunbathing. The piece requires a hefty climb to access it but the spot provides beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge. It pokes fun at the idea that while the USA was hunting for Bin Laden he was believed to be hiding in the US. Osama Sunbathing location.
The Mona Lisa is perhaps the most famous painting of all time, and it is also one which is often parodied. Banksy is no exception. This re-imagining of Mona Lisa as a terrorist toting a rocket launcher appeared in London. It has been spotted in various locations, but it is unclear as to whether these are copies or if they all belong to the elusive Banksy.
“Laugh Now” first appeared in 2002 and featured a Monkey wearing a sandwich board proclaiming ‘Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge’. There were several variations recreated on white boards and one of these sold for around $500,000 at a sale in 2008.
This simple yet provocative piece is Banksy’s comment on the UN climate summit’s failure to appropriately tackle global warming. The words appeared on a wall by Regent’s Canal (close to Oval Bridge) and dip below the water line. I Don’t Believe in Global Warming Location.
This piece depicts a likeness of Charles Manson hitchhiking. It appeared close to Archway Tube in 2005, but it became the target of rival ‘Team Robbo’ who defaced the piece. It was later semi restored by cleaning off Robbo’s addition, but this led to it being painted out completely and eventually the decision was made to remove the piece completely.
The Gorilla With Pink Mask in Banksy’s hometown of Bristol was in place for more than 10 years on the side of a former social club and was a big tourist attraction in town. However, in 2011 the new owner of the building – now a Muslim cultural centre – painted over the piece not having heard of Banksy or realising that it was valuable.
This piece is on a building of Bethlehem and is often grouped with the series of works placed on the Israeli West bank wall during Banksy’s 2005 visit. It features a dove, the iconic symbol of peace, but it is dressed in a bullet proof vest with a red target on it’s chest.
Of all the Banksy artworks on the Israeli West Bank wall, this is the most simple. A perforated line with scissors. Yet it is a powerful statement urging by-passers to cut a hole in the wall and reunite the people.
Fallen Angel is one of the most popular Banksy artworks. The piece is widely believed to be a touching tribute to fellow graffiti artist Ozone to commemorate his death in 2007. The piece was found in Bermondsey Street, London but has since been painted over and is no longer visible.
Nighthawks Foreve is a parody on the 1942 Edward Hopper painting. In Banksy's version, we see a drinken British "yob" disturbing the peace by throwing plastic chairs as the window, symbolising perhaps the differences in modern day values with a previous era. It was created by Banksy in 2005.
Banksy has done it again! On 6th June 2016 his image of a child bearing a stick and chasing a burning tyre was revealed on the wall of a primary school in Whitchurch, South Bristol. Get the Burning Tyre print (on canvas or poster) now at They'll Love Wall Art while it's hot!
Stop The Press! Graffiti artist Banksy has opened a brand new hotel, which is located four meters from the controversial wall built by Israel in 2002. Sitting in the West Bank, The Walled Off Hotel is surrounded by the wall and features a number of brand new political pieces and boasts "The world worst view." The project has taken over two years to complete and it is hoped to teach people about Palestine. Get your Banksy Israeli & Palestinian Pillow Fight Canvas Print & Poster Now!
Banksy has done it again! This latest Banksy art is located in Hull. The artwork shows a child holding a wooden sword with the words "Draw the raised bridge!"
Banksy has done it again! His latest piece features a man removing a star from the European Union flag. It appeared in Dover Sunday 7th May 2017. Get your Banksy Brexit Star Dover Canvas Print & Poster Now!
Banksy's latest piece in New York shows Zehra Dogan, a Kurdish painter from Turkey. The last jail bar on the art is a pencil and next to the mural, Banksy calls for her realise. The mural is 20m tall.
The other Banksy mural to appear in New York shows a rat running around a clock. The building is set to be demolished to make way for condos. It is currently not know if the mural has a hidden message.
CANVAS ART ROCKS PICKS: 3 for 2!
If our rundown of Banksy’s paintings piqued your interest, why not check out our digest of favourites below? Each one is available on our store, and the opportunity is ripe for you to bag all your favourites: right now, you can buy two and get your third print free!
Our collection of Banksy images are available as – or on – wallpaper, mugs, t-shirts, cushions, wall stickers, and so much more: we’ve got you covered whatever your tastes. But here, we focus on our poster print and framed canvas print offerings:
In an earlier post we talked about Banksy’s Girl with Balloon, and the artist’s ironic, poignant use of the imagery of childhood. With Umbrella Girl, or Nola, as the work is officially called, Banksy again uses the image of a girl to highlight vulnerability, here against larger forces: she is holding an umbrella which, rather than being a source of protection, is shown to be the source of the downpour itself. This artwork appeared in New Orleans – Nola an affectionate name for the city – three years after Hurricane Katrina. Poignantly, the helpless ‘Nola’ appears to stand for the city itself. Banksy created 14 murals around the city, but Nola is the only one which survives, along with several prints Banksy created with different-coloured rain. Grab your own print of this piece of Banksy art for your living spaces at home – choose from our wide range of sizes, if this one catches your eye.
2. Banksy Cheltenham Telephone Box Spies Canvas Print or Poster
Spy Booth is one of Banksy’s best-known recent works, and one with a particularly precarious existence. It appeared in 2014 just after the Snowden leaks in Cheltenham, near GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) – a mordant choice of location for this satire on government surveillance. It made use of an existing phone box to depict the surveillance activities of a group of shady-looking men – dressed to look somewhere between government agents and criminals. The original mural is no more, having been removed or destroyed in 2016; there were also earlier occurrences of vandalism. Keep the mural alive on your wall with our more permanent choices of poster or canvas!
3. Banksy Nighthawks Canvas Print or Poster
Not quite as well known as Spy Booth, but just as incisive, is Banksy’s typically satirical version of Edward Hopper’s 1942 work Nighthawks. Banksy’s painting, oil on canvas, was created in 2005 and is known as Are You Using That Chair? – referring to the figure of the man in Union Jack shorts gesturing towards the broken window – an attempt to smash it with one of his own chairs? Make this a bitingly humorous conversation starter in your living space with your own print of Banksy’s painting, available in a multitude of sizes and as either canvas or poster.
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If you get tired learn to rest, not to quit.
I don't know why people are so keen to put the details of their private life in public; they forget that invisibility is a superpower.
There is always hope.
Some people become cops because they want to make the world a better place. Some people become vandals because they want to make the world a better looking place.
I mean, they say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.
People say graffiti is ugly, irresponsible and childish... but that's only if it's done properly.
People who get up early in the morning cause war, death and famine.
I don't believe in anything. I'm just here for the violence.
Your mind is working at its best when you're being paranoid. You explore every avenue and possibility of your situation at high speed with total clarity.
The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules. It's people who follow orders that drop bombs and massacre villages.
Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.
A lot of mothers will do anything for their children, except let them be themselves.
Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a fucking sharp knife to it.
I’ve learnt from experience that a painting isn’t finished when you put down your brush – that’s when it starts. The public reaction is what supplies meaning and value. Art comes alive in the arguments you have about it.
Workers of the world unite.
There's nothing more dangerous than someone who wants to make the world a better place.
Graffiti is one of the few tools you have if you have almost nothing. And even if you don't come up with a picture to cure world poverty you can make someone smile while they're having a piss.
There are four basic human needs; food, sleep, sex and revenge.
Once upon a time there was a bear and a bee who lived in a wood and were the best of friends. All summer long the bee collected nectar from morning to night while the bear lay on his back basking in the long grass. When winter came the bear realised he had nothing to eat and thought to himself 'I hope that busy little bee will share some of his honey with me.' But the bee was nowhere to be found - he had died of a stress induced coronary disease.
The thing I hate the most about advertising is that it attracts all the bright, creative and ambitious young people, leaving us mainly with the slow and self-obsessed to become our artists.. Modern art is a disaster area. Never in the field of human history has so much been used by so many to say so little.
Winners… are not those who never fail but those who never quit!
I'm out of bed and dressed - what more fo you want?
People either love me or they hate me, or they don't really care.
No ball games.
A recent survey of North American males found 42% were overweight, 34% were critically obese and 8% ate the survey.
Blank walls are criminal.
I don't believe in global warming.
No future.
Sale ends today.
Love is the answer.
There is no such thing as good publicity.
If graffiti changed anything - it would be illegal.
No act of kindness no matter how small is ever wasted.
Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge - monkey.
Don't forget to eat your lunch and make some trouble.
My main problem with cops is that they do what they're told. They say 'Sorry mate, I'm just doing my job' all the fucking time.
Sometimes I feel so sick at the state of the world I can't even finish my second apple pie.
Speak softly, but carry a big can of paint.
I need someone to protect me from all the measures they take in order to protect me.
If you want to say something and have people listen then you have to wear a mask. If you want to be honest then you have to live a lie.
People who enjoy waving flags don't deserve to have one
Live as a villain, die as a hero
This revolution is for display purposes only.
Nobody ever listened to me until they didn’t know who I was.
Only when the last tree has been cut down and the last river has dried up will man realise that reciting red indian proverbs makes you sound like a fucking muppet.
All artists are willing to suffer for their work. But why are so few prepared to learn to draw?
Become good at cheating and you never need to become good at anything else.
0% interest in people.
Merry crisis and a happy new fear.
Keep your coins, I want change.
What are you looking?
Follow your dreams - cancelled.
Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw whatever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a party where everyone was invited, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall - it's wet.
A lot of people never use their initiative because no-one told them to.
You can win the rat race but you're still a rat.
It's a very frustrated feeling you get when the only people with good photos of you work are the police department.
Art is not like other culture because its success is not made by its audience. The public fill concert halls and cinemas every day, we read novels by the millions, and buy records by the billions. 'We the people'--affect the making and quality of most of our culture, but not our art.
They say you die twice. One time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.
You don't need planning permission to build castles in the sky.
Life is beautiful.
Be positive, patient and persistent.
At this time of year it's easy to forget the true meaning of Christianity - the lies, the corruption, the abuse.
We kill people who kill people because killing people is wrong.
A wall is a very big weapon. It's one of the nastiest things you can hit someone with.
Draw the raised bridge.
I remember when all this was trees.
The mild mild west.
If you repeat a life often enough, it becomes truth politics.
Anyone who believes in capital punishment should be shot
So cliché.
You're never fully dressed without a smile.
I could sit in a pub and tell you all the things that are written in this book, but you wouldn't fucking listen.
Nothing in the world is more common than unsuccessful people with talent, leave the house before you find something worth staying in for.
I'd been painting rats for three years before someone said, 'That's clever. It's an anagram of art,' and I had to pretend I'd known that all along.
One Original Thought is worth 1000 Meaningless Quotes.
Some people represent authority without ever possessing any of their own.
If you have a statue in the city centre you could go past it every day on your way to school and never even notice it, right. But as soon as someone puts a traffic cone on its head, you've made your own sculpture.
People seem to think if they dress like a revolutionary they don`t actually have to behave like one.
Nobody ever listened to me until they didn't know who I was.
I want to live in a world created by art, not just decorated with it
The art world is the biggest joke going. It’s a rest home for the overprivileged, the pretentious, and the weak.
Remember – it’s always easier to get forgiveness than permission
I sucked a lot of breasts to get where I am today.
The holy grail is to spend less time making the picture than it takes people to look at it.
Painting something that defies the law of the land is good. Painting something that defies the law of the land and the law of gravity at the same time is ideal.
Remember crime against property is not real crime. People look at an oil painting and admire the use of brushstrokes to convey meaning. People look at a graffiti painting and admire the use of a drainpipe to gain access.
Your emergency exits are here, here and here.
No loitering.
Ready or not here we come.
You looked better on Myspace.
Forgive us our tresspassing.
One national under CCTV.
The time of getting fame for your name on its own is over. Artwork that is only about wanting to be famous will never make you famous. Any fame is a by-product of making something that means something. You don't go to a restaurant and order a meal because you want to have a shit.
Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city, it' s a tool; I'll meet you in that pub, you know, the one opposite that wall with a picture of a monkey holding a chainsaw. I mean, how much more useful can a painting be than that?
When the time comes to leave, just walk away quietly and don't make any fuss.
If at first you don't succeed, call an airstrike.
There's no way you're going to get a quote from us to use on your book cover - Metropolitan Police Spokesperson
Nothing is black and white, and there is no purity and there is no such thing has justice.
I've never really understood why people sleep. Wasting a third of your life and becoming vulnerable for almost 8 hours every night. Doesn't seem very appealing to me.
Think outside the box, collapse the box and take a fucking knife to it.
Fight the fighters, not their wars.
What we do in life echoes in eternity.
Because I'm worthless.
Let them eat crack.
Sorry! The lifestyle you ordered is out of stock.
I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in - like peace and justice and freedom.
This will look good framed.
If you want someone to be ignored then build a life-size bronze statue of them and stick it in the middle of town. It doesn't matter how great you were, it'll always take an unfunny drunk with climbing skills to make people notice you.
If you are dirty, insignificant and unloved then rats are the ultimate role model.
]]>It goes without saying that a cheerful room will help cheer up your staff. If you have meetings with your clients in your office it’s important to impress them. Perhaps you work remotely and hold video conferences with your clients. Your backdrop will definitely get noticed on video calls. Most of us use social media to promote our businesses these days, and office wall art also provides you with easy ways to promote your business and catch attention with photo opportunities. Office wall art will give you a workspace you can be proud of showing off through videos and images as well as in person.
There’s a limit what you can do to a room with furniture, and usually less is more. Your office furniture is for practical use, and while you can choose styles that you like, there are easier ways to brighten up your space. The perfect office space has character and personality. Perhaps you’d like to embrace the industry you work in and display some visual components to represent that. Or maybe you’d like your office space to reflect your own interests and passions. If it’s your home office you’ll definitely want to put your own stamp on it. We offer a huge range of wall art perfect for home and office walls, including canvas art prints, wall stickers, and wallpaper murals. But how to decide which is best for your office? Read on to find out what the best options are to suit your style and space.
Canvas prints are an easy way to instantly add character to your office. This is an easy option to choose if you don’t own the space you work in. If you’re worried about damaging walls you’ll want to avoid something sticky or hard to remove. With a canvas print you can hang it anywhere in your office or home with damage-free wall mounting options. You could place it on a shelf in your office to give a corner or a wall some instant character. If you’re likely to relocate or change your workspace fairly frequently, a canvas print for your office is the best option as you can take this with you or replace it with a new one at any time.
In a nutshell, canvas prints are the most versatile type of wall art you could get for your office or home. They’re portable, available in a range of different sizes, and low cost. So you can always update your office with new canvas prints and change them throughout the year.
You have an incredible amount of designs and artwork styles to choose from with all of our office wall art. If you want to make a larger statement or have a larger wall available but don’t want something stuck onto the walls then our split canvas prints work really well. They’re larger than the single prints, they make a great impact and are also available in a wide range of sizes and designs including sports, Banksy, movies, music, fine art or beach scenes.
If you have an empty wall that’s in eyesight of yourself or your office workers then wall stickers are the perfect motivational solution. Life quotes are inspirational and uplifting and wall stickers make it easy to bring this inspiration into your office or home.
Our office wall stickers are extremely easy to apply, with step-by-step fitting instructions included. Whatever size you have available, there’s a wide range of size options to choose from. And no matter what brand colours your business has, you can select from a huge variety of colours. Your office is part of your business brand so why should your walls be any different?
A wallpaper mural is by far the most impressive way to bring personality into your home or office. A statement wall can do wonders for boosting morale, ambience and good vibes. With an office wallpaper mural you can bring your dream environment into your workspace. You can easily picture yourself in a beach scene or in your favourite city or landscape. An office wallpaper mural is way better than a window as it doesn’t matter where you’re based - you can choose to look at your dream surroundings, your favourite country or ideal scenery. Your office can be covered in trees, mountains or a sandy beach. Or choose space or fantasy and allow yourself to think outside of this world.
If landscapes and photographic wall art aren’t your style, Canvas Art Rocks also has patterns to suit any office style. Whether you love a floral effect, geometric patterns or a splash of abstract colour, there’s a mural to bring life to your office. Who wouldn’t enjoy working in a vibrant, lively room full of colour? There are even maps!
Perhaps the best thing about our office wallpaper murals is they’re made to your own custom dimensions. So don’t worry if your office wall is tiny or gigantic - we’ll print it to your own dimensions. Our office wallpaper murals are also waterproof so they should stand the test of time - just like your team morale and customer loyalty.
Worried you’re not the best DIYer or decorator? There’s no need to worry at all - our office wallpaper murals are super easy to fit, and you can choose whether you’d prefer to paste the wall or the paper. An instruction guide and wallpaper paste is included and if the worst happens and you damage a panel then we’re more than happy to replace it for you.
Tempted but not sure? We can send you a free sample to touch, feel and see before ordering your final design. If you’d like to see some designs as samples these can be printed and delivered to you for a small charge - which is refunded when you order your full wallpaper mural.
So what’s your favourite? If you’re still looking for more office wall art inspiration you can browse our full range of office wall art here and if you’d like to request a sample or find out more please do get in touch.
]]>It’s a work of light and dark: the lights from the couple’s phones illuminate their faces and cast shadows along their arms, while the rest of their bodies are softly blurred. They hold each other elegantly, almost like dancers, while at the same time there’s something undeniably stiff about their posture – as if they’ve been standing like that for a while. Their rigidity is emphasised by the suits they wear; Banksy’s way of telling us that these are capitalist drones whose phone use is inextricable from their no doubt pressing work life, carried out at the expense of their relationship to each other – at the expense of human connection in general.
Photographs of the Banksy artwork were first uploaded to his website before it was spotted by the public, sending art fanatics from across the country in search of the British artist’s brand-new piece. It was finally discovered 24 hours later.
Just a few months on, in August 2014, the 120-year-old boys club was struggling for funds and risked closing. Dennis Stinchcombe, club’s owner, decided to sell the Banksy graffiti to a private collector for £403,000.
Following the sale, Mobile Lovers was seized by the police while they investigated who actually owned it. In turn, the artist made an unusually public comment on the situation, writing to Stinchcombe that he should do whatever he “feels is right with the piece…I’m a great admirer of the work done at the club and would be chuffed if this can help in some way.” adding that “your tenacity in the past few weeks has made for an entertaining spectator sport.”
Stinchcombe told the BBC that “I think as a young man [Banksy] went to Barton Hill youth club and probably came into my club several times at the Dings in St Phillips.”
Banksy is not exactly known for endorsing the removal of his artworks from public space. He condemned the 2014 exhibition Stealing Banksy? which showcased some of his art that had been taken from their original locations: “This show has got nothing to do with me and I think it’s disgusting people are allowed to go around displaying art on walls without getting permission.”
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hang Banksy prints on your wall! Canvas Art Rocks’ huge collection of popular Banksy art can be purchased in a variety of forms: have a look at Banksy’s Girl With Balloon on canvas or as a poster; or check out this vinyl sticker to make a bolder statement.
CANVAS ART ROCKS PICKS: 3 for 2!
If you’re feeling inspired after reading about the Banksy painting Mobile Lovers, have a look at this selection of our massive range of Banksy prints below. Here, we focus on three more images of embracing couples that convey a variety of messages. What’s more, you can now buy two and get the third free!
Banksy Think Tank Canvas Print or Poster
If you love Banksy as well as Blur, this is the print for you: this haunting image was stencilled by Banksy for the artwork for the band’s 2007 album Think Tank. It might seem against type for the artist to take on commercial work, but Banksy faced up publicly to the reality of the financial difficulties of an artistic career, stating that ‘I've done a few things to pay the bills, and I did the Blur album. It was a good record and quite a lot of money. I think that's a really important distinction to make. If it's something you actually believe in, doing something commercial doesn't turn it to shit just because it's commercial.’
Banksy Kissing Policemen Canvas Print or Poster
One of Banksy’s most provocative artworks, Kissing Coppers was stencilled onto the wall of Brighton’s Prince Albert pub in 2004. Similar to works such as Spy Booth, the policemen have had a tortured history, with the mural being defaced multiple times, and, like Mobile Lovers, eventually removed, protected and then sold by the pub’s owner in order to prevent further vandalism. This piece of Banksy art for sale went for $575,000 at an auction in Miami ten years later when the owner sold it in order to keep his pub open – a decision which itself created some controversy.
Kissing Coppers arguably offers a dual commentary on both the perception of homosexuality in British culture as potentially incongruous with the typically masculine role of constable while perhaps using this conflicted stance of two policemen embracing to undermine the position of law enforcement in society. However, the choice of the artwork’s location, Brighton, long the centre of British LGBTQ+ life, seems to point to the artwork as an (admittedly provocative) affirmation of homosexuality, dressed up, as it were, in the necessarily eye-catching stance of two cops kissing.
Banksy Mobile Lovers Pink Canvas Print or Poster
If you fancy a more colourful interpretation of Banksy’s Mobile Lovers, check out our pink canvas print or poster of the mural! If another colour suits your décor better, see the rest of our range of neon versions, including canvas or posters with green, blue or yellow backgrounds.
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Why are dinosaurs such a dream monster for children? They’re huge, dangerous and real. But they’re also safe because they’re extinct. If your child loves dinosaurs it’s bound to be their dream to have a dinosaur themed bedroom. The easiest way to instantly bring dinosaurs into your children’s bedrooms is with dinosaur wallpaper. With a wallpaper mural you don’t need to plaster the whole room with dinosaurs. Rather than having a repeating wallpaper pattern, you can have a statement wall with an impressively large image printed. It will really bring a dinosaur to life. Whatever size you’d like or have available, wallpaper murals printed by Canvas Art Rocks are made to your custom measurements.
Covering the walls of your kid’s bedroom with a wallpaper mural is not something you do everyday, and it’s important to get it right. After all, dinosaurs come in all shapes and sizes and levels of scariness or friendliness. Choosing the right dinosaur wallpaper is important. You don’t want to terrify your kid with a scary T-Rex if they’re fond of friendly Diplodocuses. But you also don’t want to leave your kids unimpressed if they prefer the scarier variety. Luckily we’re here to help you choose the right kind of dinosaur wallpaper to suit your kid’s needs.
It’s not unusual for humans to be fascinated by powerful animals, and if lions, tigers, bears and sharks are powerful creatures then dinosaurs are on another level. The best thing about dinosaurs is that they’re not all the same. They’re a diverse bunch. From the scary, dangerous monstrous carnivores such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Velociraptor to the gentle giants such as Diplodocus, Stegosaurus and Triceratops. It’s not just children that dinosaurs capture the imagination of - they’re an impressive species for any age.
T-Rex? Dippy? Or maybe they don’t have one clear favourite. We have wallpaper murals featuring all kinds of dinosaurs. If they have one or a few favourites then be sure to choose your dinosaur wallpaper mural with that type included. If there’s no clear winner that they love in particular then you can’t go wrong with a group scene like this…
If your child is most inspired by Jurassic Park then that will affect the style of dinosaur wallpaper they would love. But if your kids prefer Barney or The Flintstones then the type of dinosaur wallpaper they’d like will be very different.
If your kids are Jurassic Park fans we’d recommend trying this wallpaper mural:
This is an important one as dinosaurs can be friendly fun or terrifying nightmares. If your teenager loves how epic and terrifying dinosaurs are, then you’re definitely best choosing one of our scarier designs like this…
But if you have a toddler or little one who loves dinosaurs but needs to feel safe enough to sleep well at night, you’ll definitely need to choose one of our friendly cartoon style designs. If the wallpaper mural is for your kid’s bedroom then choose the one your child will be happy sleeping next to. You can always choose a different one for your living room or home office!
4. What size is your kid’s bedroom wall?
You might worry that you don’t have enough space - or too much - for a dinosaur wallpaper mural, but that’s not an issue. All of our wallpapers are made to your own custom dimensions. So don’t worry if your wall is tiny or gigantic - we’ll print it to your own dimensions. Our wallpaper murals are also waterproof so they should stand the test of time - just like dinosaurs.
How to fix your wallpaper mural
Worried you’re not the best DIYer or decorator? There’s no need to worry at all - our dinosaur wallpaper murals are super easy to fit, and you can choose whether you’d prefer to paste the wall or the paper. An instruction guide and wallpaper paste is included and if the worst happens and you damage a panel then we’re more than happy to replace it for you.
Tempted but not sure? We can send you a free sample to touch, feel and see before ordering your final design. If you’d like to see some designs as samples these can be printed and delivered to you for a small charge - which is refunded when you order your full wallpaper mural.
Scary - https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/stock-photo-dinosaur-wall-mural-wallpaper
Friendly - https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaur-volcano-cartoon-wall-mural-wallpaper
Scary but cartoony so not too scary - https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-fighting-wall-mural-wallpaper
Scary - https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaur-in-the-jungle-background-wall-mural-wallpaper
Really cute family of different dinos - https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/cute-dinosaurs-in-prehistoric-scene-wall-mural-wallpaper
Dino skin texture - https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaur-skin-texture-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/funny-dinosaurs-in-the-forest-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/cute-dinosaurs-in-prehistoric-scene-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaur-living-by-the-lake-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-in-the-park-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-in-dino-park-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/cute-dinosaurs-walking-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-by-the-river-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-in-the-jungle-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-in-the-jungle-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-on-the-beach-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/funny-dinosaurs-in-the-forest-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-fighting-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-flying-on-fullmoon-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-in-the-park-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-by-the-river-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-in-dino-park-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaur-having-fun-in-the-lake-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-by-the-river-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-in-the-ocean-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-on-the-beach-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-swimming-in-the-lake-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/dinosaurs-living-in-the-jungle-wall-mural-wallpaper
https://www.canvasartrocks.com/products/two-dinosaurs-in-the-lake-wall-mural-wallpaper
]]>Here at Canvas Art Rocks we offer a huge range of decorative unicorn wall art, including canvas art prints, wall stickers, and wallpaper murals. But which one is best for you? Depending how much space you have you might even want them all! Read on to find out how to make your walls magical with our variety of unicorn wall art.
If you’re looking for some decorative unicorn art that can be moved around from time to time, our canvas prints are your best choice. Unlike stickers or murals you can take your unicorn canvas print and hang it in any room. So if you move house, your unicorn canvas can come and bring it’s magic with you. You can also experiment with hanging your unicorn canvas print in different locations, or placing it on a shelf. No matter what size your space is, we can help as all of our canvas prints come in a wide range of sizes.
If you’re planning to display your unicorn canvas print somewhere it might get messy or damp - perhaps your kitchen, bathroom or in your children’s play area - your best solution will be the premium framed canvas print. This option has a scratch proof and water resistant finish, and our premium canvas prints are guaranteed for 75 years so can be gifted to future generations of unicorn lovers - we believe they’ll still be as trendy as ever!
If you have an empty wall that’s just missing a unicorn then a unicorn wall sticker is your magical solution. You can make a huge statement with no hassle or effort involved. There’s no need to buy a stencil, paints, brushes and find heaps of patience. Our unicorn wall stickers are extremely easy to apply, with step-by-step fitting instructions included. Whatever size you have available, there’s a wide range of size options to choose from. And no matter what colour theme your room is, you can pick from a huge variety of colours. Unicorns are colourful by nature so why would our unicorn wall stickers be any different? Choose your favourite or let your child decide.
A wallpaper mural is by far the most impressive way to bring unicorns into your home or nursery. If you live with a unicorn lover - and that might be you - then the biggest way to make a magical impact is to dedicate a whole wall to your favourite thing. Perhaps the best thing about our unicorn wallpaper murals is they’re made to your own custom dimensions. So don’t worry if your wall is tiny or gigantic - we’ll print it to your own dimensions. Our wallpaper murals are also waterproof so they should stand the test of time - just like our fabulous unicorns.
Worried you’re not the best DIYer or decorator? There’s no need to worry at all - our wallpaper murals are super easy to fit, and you can choose whether you’d prefer to paste the wall or the paper. An instruction guide and wallpaper paste is included and if the worst happens and you damage a panel then we’re more than happy to replace it for you.
Tempted but not sure? We can send you a free sample to touch, feel and see before ordering your final design. If you’d like to see some designs as samples these can be printed and delivered to you for a small charge - which is refunded when you order your full wallpaper mural.
So what’s your favourite? If you’re still looking for more magical unicorn inspiration you can browse our full range of unicorn wall art here and if you’d like to request a sample or find out more please do get in touch.
]]>Spy Booth, which is the second most popular Banksy print purchased by Canvas Art Rocks customers in recent years (after Banksy’s Girl with Balloon) features three government agents in brown trench coats and sunglasses listening in to conversations from a BT telephone box. It appeared after Edward Snowden’s revelations in 2013 of widespread phone tapping by western governments.
Sadly, in 2016, the owner of the home featuring this piece of Banksy graffiti had to carry out urgent repairs to the property which resulted in the artwork being destroyed.
Hang a Banksy on your wall today - Canvas Art Rocks’ massive collection of popular Banksy art can be purchased on canvas, poster, wall sticker, mug and more.
CANVAS ART ROCKS PICKS: 3 for 2!
Looking for new prints? Seize the opportunity with our 3 for 2 deal! Below are some ideas to help you narrow down your choice from the wealth of Banksy posters and canvases we have to offer. Following on from Spy Booth, here are five Banksy artworks with political themes.
Banksy Monkey Parliament Canvas Print or Poster
This 2009 Banksy painting (oil on canvas) sees the artist depicting British MPs as chimps in the House of Commons. Chimpanzees as a symbol of stupidity or chattering over action – or as an ironically superior alternative to politicians – is a common theme for Banksy: other chimpanzee-themed artworks of his can be found here and here!
It was first shown at the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery as part of their 2009 Banksy exhibition. When it comes to Banksy art for sale, this piece became his biggest sale at the time, selling in October 2019 for £9.9 million, or $12.2 million, at Sotheby’s in London.
Banksy Toxic Beach Canvas Print or Poster
At first glance this picture may look like an ordinary print of Jack Vettriano’s popular painting The Singing Butler. And yet Banksy’s trademark irony is present in the appearance of two waste disposal workers and their canister of toxic waste ready to be dumped into the ocean, the iconic dancing couple looking on towards them. Banksy is clearly not averse to making his mark on a classic with a political statement – make guests look twice when you hang the poster on your wall and you’ll do the same.
Banksy Crayon Child Soldier Canvas Print or Poster
This mural, often known as Crayon Boy, appeared on the wall of an Urban Outfitters in Los Angeles in 2011: a young boy with a machine gun whose ammunition is a line of crayons. He is surrounded by a representation of a child’s crayon drawing of flowers and the sun. The grim reality of childhoods spent among war or gang violence (LA as Banksy’s chosen location drives this home), and a deliberately idealised depiction of what childhood should be creates a poignant and eye-catching image.
Banksy Smiley Angel Policeman Canvas Print or Poster
Banksy’s dystopian image of the riot cop with wings and a yellow smiley face, titled Flying Copper, didn’t originate as one single graffito like his Crayon Boy or Abe Lincoln.
Is Banksy’s faceless, winged riot officer an angel here to protect us? Or does the combination of his weapon and blank ‘smile’ suggest something more sinister? Banksy again holds and contrasts differing perspectives within one image, and within one symbol – that ‘happy’ smiley face.
Banksy created multiple iterations of Flying Copper, from hundreds of screen prints in 2003 to huge cut-out paintings as part of a London exhibition in the same year. Murals have also appeared in London, Vienna and Berlin. We’ve also got options for you: check out this graffiti-heavy version on our store, or check out Flying Copper in a multitude of coloured backgrounds, from pink or blue to red or green.
Banksy Abraham Lincoln Canvas Print or Poster
Like Nola, Banksy stencilled this image of Lincoln in New Orleans in 2008, three years after the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina. The building on which it appeared has since been demolished. Banksy’s envisions the 16th US president as a homeless man, stooped and pushing a trolley, his trademark presidential hat and suit baggy and wrinkled. It’s perhaps a sharp critique of government inaction in the face of the hurricane’s devastation, despite (or because) of the great number of deaths and loss of property visited upon the city’s poorest black residents. This almost angrily ironic depiction of the moderate Republican Lincoln – renowned for his reputation as an emancipator of black southern slaves – as destitute brings him close to New Orleans’ worst off, highlighting the failings of the then Republican government to effect a meaningful programme of rebuilding and restitution. The implication is perhaps that Lincoln’s legacy has been cast aside and forgotten, just like Banksy’s version of the President in this ‘portrait’.
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If you’re a big Al Pacino fan then one movie that you will have almost certainly seen is “Scarface” which tells the story of Cuban drug lord “Tony Montana”. As with many Pacino films it ends in bloodshed (and there is bloodshed throughout it has to be said) but it is a classic and if it teaches you one thing it is that crime doesn’t really pay. One lesser-know Al Pacino movie is “Dog Day Afternoon” and for me it is a better film than Scarface. There is much less violence and there is humour and emotional sentiment throughout. It is a film that I only discovered a year or so ago and having watched it I thought it was fantastic.
Dog Day Afternoon was made in 1975 and tells the true story of a 1972 bank robbery in Brooklyn, New York that went – you could say – not exactly as it was meant to. The story focuses throughout on the characters Sonny Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturale, played by Al Pacino and John Cazale, who attempt to rob a bank in a routine heist with accomplice Stevie (Gary Springer).
Once inside the bank their masterplan begins to go awry once Sal (Salvatore) is forced to brandish his gun. Stevie loses his cool and Sonny and Sal decide to let him flee the scene before he becomes a liability. They are then down to just the two of them.
Soon after this, Sonny and Sal realise they are holding up the bank on the wrong day. The daily pick-up had just been made previously and only a little over a thousand dollar is left in the safe. To make up for this they decide to steal a bundle of travellers’ cheques and attempt to cover their tracks by setting fire to the bank’s register. This merely succeeds in sending smoke out of the building and alerting all and sundry outside to a “problem” at the bank. Soon after the bank is surrounded by police. The small-time crooks have no option but to remain holed up using the bank staff and customers as hostages.
The rest of the film plays out with the negotiations between the police and Sonny, as well as the relationships that are developed between Sonny and Sal and the hostages. At times it is comical, not least when Sonny emerges from the building with a hostage to talk to the police. The gathered crowd soon start chanting in support of Sonny. See clip of this below (warning - there is some swearing in this):
As in many movie hostage situations, everyone needs to eat at some time and the obligatory pizzas are delivered to the hostage scene. Mention of a helicopter is never far away and right on cue, Sonny demands a helicopter be delivered so that he and Sal can make good their escape.
The film then takes a somewhat unexpected twist when Sonny’s wife (Leon) arrives at the scene where it is revealed that his reason for robbing the bank is to pay for his wife’s gender reassignment surgery. Leon later explains to Sonny that she had previously attempted suicide in order to get away from Sonny and confirms that wherever Sonny and Sal go to after escaping the bank she will not go with them.
Sonny’s mother then turns up but is unable to persuade the robbers to give up their heist. A limousine then appears to take them all to the airport to a waiting helicopter. In the car the police agent manages to overpower Sal and Sal is shot in the head. Sonny gives himself up and is arrested. Do bank robbers/hostage takers ever get away in a helicopter? I don’t think I can ever remember a movie where that happens.
Sonny was given 20 years in prison.
Dog Day Afternoon is a superb film and I encourage everyone to see it. Once again – crime doesn’t pay!
Canvas Art Rocks have a fantastic selection of movie canvas prints including Scarface prints to name a few. Take a look.
]]>Banksy is one of the world’s most well-known artists. Born in Bristol, he has long been a household name, creating thought-provoking and often beautiful art – frequently appearing in public as if out of nowhere due to his nocturnal working habits, creating the shock of the unexpected as well as helping to shroud his identity. Banksy started his career as a graffiti artist and was part of a gang named DryBreadZ Crew. Although he began by creating art freehand, he moved to using stencils in the late ‘90s, and his work became widely recognised in the south west of England, mostly centring around Bristol.
In 2005, after many years of local media attention, Banksy’s work on the West Bank barrier between Israel and Palestine received significant media coverage from the world’s press. Flying Balloon Girl features a young girl being held in the air by a clutch of childlike balloons – imagery which Banksy often returns to, and which you can read more about below.
In October 2013, Banksy took to the streets of New York, creating one new piece of public artwork for each day of his stay. During his visit, he sold some of his art for as little as $60 – well below the market value of his work.
Despite being world-famous, Banksy’s identity remains officially unknown. In 2008, The Mail on Sunday claimed that Banksy is Robin Gunningham – but he denied that he was Banksy. In 2016, The Mail also reported that scientists at Queen Mary University of London have used geographic profiling to prove that he is indeed Mr Gunningham.
There is also the famous photo taken by Peter Dean Rickards in Jamaica around 2003 or 2004, which shows a man painting while crouching on the ground: Rickards claimed that this was in fact Banksy. The artist was also alleged to have been present at the 2018 Sotheby’s auction in London of a Banksy artwork for sale – a 2006 painting of Girl with Balloon, in fact – in which the work unexpectedly self-shredded (Banksy’s representatives then renamed the painting Love is in the Bin).
Being Canvas Art Rocks’ most popular canvas ordered by its customers, Girl with Balloon is being exhibited in households around the world. There is a universality to the image that might explain its incredibly broad appeal: in a 2017 UK poll, 2,000 people voted it their favourite piece of art, beating out renowned works such as Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North and Constable’s Hay Wain. The heart-shaped balloon perhaps represents love, hope, innocence, childhood and self-confidence, with the whole piece suggesting the loss of something which was within your grasp. The addition of the words THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE give an ironic, or perhaps moving, dimension to the image, encapsulating Banksy’s typical mix of the emotive and the hard-edged.
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to hang Banksy artwork on your wall! Canvas Art Rocks’ huge collection of popular Banksy art can be purchased as canvas, a poster, or even as a vinyl sticker.
If you love Banksy’s Girl with Balloon and have already made it part of your canvas collection, why not check out our full range of Banksy artwork, especially while our 3 for 2 sale continues? To help inspire you, we’ve included below three more Banksy prints with similar messages of hope in times of adversity – a reminder we could all always use on our walls.
1. Banksy No Kindness Canvas Print or Poster
Banksy graffiti becomes even more meta with this image of a young girl spray-painting the words ‘No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted’. The grittiness of the urban aesthetic gives an edge to the optimistic motto she is printing, making this print a poignant addition to your walls. It’s available with us as a framed canvas print for $39 or poster print for $12, as are all our featured prints here.
2. Banksy Kids on Gun Hill Canvas Print or Poster
Another work in which Banksy uses the motif of the heart-shaped balloon against a scene of despair is featured in this print, the powerful Kids on Gun Hill, which shows a girl, and a boy with a teddy bear, holding hands atop a hill of weapons as the balloon rises up between them.
The original Kids on Guns was first released in 2003 in spray paint and acrylic. It seems to suggest the power and value of love and the purity of childhood innocence in a world of darkness – unity over the discord of war.
3. Banksy Flying Balloon Girl Canvas Print or Poster
Flying Balloon Girl is one of the best known of Banksy’s balloon images and certainly the most powerful, especially in its original context – a wall on Israel’s West Bank, appearing in 2005. It can’t help but be interpreted as a desire for freedom from suffering, articulated via his familiar motif of childhood innocence.
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Have you ever wanted to hang wall art outdoors in the garden, patio, yard or some other space? Well now you can! This article discusses outdoor wall art and what you can do.
You may have noticed that in recent years, modern homes seem to be getting smaller and smaller. That is why a growing number of people are looking at various ways of extending their living space out into the garden by creating spaces that could almost be considered outdoor rooms. This could take the form of a balcony, a patio or maybe even a deck. These are great spaces for outdoor entertaining or even just relaxing with family. The more time we start spending in these outdoor areas, the more important it becomes to give them the same care and attention as we do to the rest of our rooms in terms of décor. Outdoor wall art is a great way to add a little style to your garden living space in much the same way as you would add paintings to your living room or bedroom walls. Let's take a closer look at the growing trend for garden artwork including how to choose and install the best piece of wall art for your outdoor space.
If you have never come across outdoor wall art then there is a good chance that you might be wondering what on Earth we are talking about! That's okay, allow us to explain! Outdoor wall art is essentially weatherproof art that can be hung on the exterior walls in the same way that you would hang any other art in the interior of your home. There are a number of different materials that are used in making art for hanging outdoors including wood, plastic and glass, but the most commonly used material in weatherproof art is probably metal.
The outdoor wall art that we specialize in is printed on specially treated aluminium plates. This allows us to produce sharp, vivid images that are completely weatherproof and scratch resistant. They are designed to be hung in outdoor areas, but we here from lots of customers who are also hanging them in their kitchens and bathrooms because of their waterproof nature. These metal prints are very versatile and make a great addition to your décor – inside or outside of your house!
Garden walls and/or fences can be pretty boring when left bare, so it is a good idea to try to dress them up a little bit. Some people choose to do this using trellis and climbing plants, flower beds, or planters to break up the expanse of wood or brick. However, others prefer to hang some garden artwork to add some interesting features.
This is a popular choice because it is a great way to add depth and texture to your garden. If you already have lots of greenery and flowering plants in the area, then you might feel like adding more just to break up a boring brick wall is sort of overkill. However, choosing a beautiful piece of metal garden art is going to add a different material and texture to the garden making it look much ore interesting. Outside wall art is also a great way to add some of your own personality and style to your outdoor space in the same way that you would with your interior design concepts.
The great thing about outdoor metal wall art is that it is so versatile. There are lots of different ways that you can use it to brighten up your garden or patio in order to turn it into more of an outdoor living space. If you take a look on Pinterest or in home décor magazines then you are sure to come across plenty of great garden ideas that incorporate outside wall art. Here are just a couple of suggestions that you might find interesting.
So now that you know what outdoor wall décor is all about and you have thought about some of the different garden ideas using outdoor art you might be thinking about buying some to bring an interesting new aspect to your own outdoor space. However, before you rush out and pick up the first piece of metal garden art that you see it is important that you know what to look for so that you choose the right piece. Here are our top tips to help choose the right outdoor garden art that is not only going to look great, but which will also stand up to the elements.
When you are buying outdoor garden art to brighten up the exterior of the home it is important that you choose good quality art that is intended for use outside. That does not necessarily mean having to choose the most expensive pieces of yard art, you just need to know what sort of things to look for when you go shopping.
Adding some outdoor garden art can be a really great way to brighten up your outdoor space. However, it can also be very easy to go over the top. How often have you been out walking in your neighbourhood when you come across that garden that makes you stop and stare – and not in a good way. You know those yards that we are talking about, right? The ones that are overflowing with ornaments and lights and all sorts of garden artwork! Those people have just gone a little to far with their outdoor décor! It is important to find just the right balance with your outdoor garden art so that it does not overwhelm the plants and trees. Just keep in mind that the artwork is an accent and not a main feature of your garden. If you keep it balanced you will not end up with a yard that looks over the top!
Once you have decided that you want a piece of outdoor wall décor and perhaps even picked out the artwork that you want, the next step is to install it on your wall. This can seem a little bit daunting since hanging something on a brick wall is very different from hanging a picture on your interior walls! This is something that you will want to get right since gilling or patching a hole made in brick work is almost impossible. The last thing that you want to be doing is repeatedly hanging and repositioning your wall art – we need to get it right first time!
The first and perhaps most important step is going to be measuring where your holes need to be! Ideally, you want the centre of the artwork to be around 5 to 5.5 feet from the ground. So measure this out and if you are totally happy with the placement then mark the exact spot for your holes. It is important to note that you will need these holes to be located in the masonry joints in between the bricks. If you try to drill into the brick itself then you are likely to end up shattering it which is something that you definitely do not want. You will want to use masonry nails to affix your wall art onto an exterior wall. These are specialist nails which have a grooved shaft to help it cling to the masonry without slipping under the weight of the art hanging from them. They will not cause damage to the brick work when used properly and they are much easier to use than masonry screws.
Once you have the exact location of your holes marked you will need to drill a pilot hole. This should be done using a masonry drill bit that is slightly smaller than the diameter of your masonry nails. Once you have drilled the hole you can then insert the masonry nail and hammer it in around 1.25 inches making sure that you keep the nail completely straight as it goes in. Once you have hammered the nail in, make sure that it is fitting snug by firmly pulling down on it. It should not wiggle around at all. You can then hang your new wall art securely on the nails using whatever fixing method is required. When it comes time to remove the artwork, you can fill in the hole with masonry filler after removing the nail.
On thing that many people are concerned about whenever they do anything to the exterior of their home is whether or not it is going to affect the curb appeal of their property if they ever decide that they want to sell their home. This is something that does apply to outdoor wall art as well. If it is installed appropriately, there will be no damage to the walls of your property therefore it is not going to do anything to decrease the value of your home. It could potentially affect curb appeal in that some potential buyers may have different taste to your own and may not like your wall art. However, since you will most likely be taking it with you when you move you could simply take down your weatherproof art if you feel like it could be putting of potential buyers for your property.
In conclusion, outside wall art is a great way to add some style to your garden especially if you are trying to great the look and feel of an 'outdoor room' on your patio or deck. There are many different styles of art for hanging outdoors, so do take some time to consider what is going to work for your space and whether or not it is going to fit with the look you are trying to create. Hopefully this article will have given you some useful insight into how to choose the right outdoor garden art and offered some handy hints about what to look for to ensure that you are buying a high quality product. Don't forget to take a look at the stunning HD metal prints that we have on sale here at Canvas Art Rocks to give you some great garden ideas for your property.
]]>The thought of doctors recommending a particular cigarette brand doesn't get any less shocking no matter how many times you look at this advert. These were the days when everybody smoked and thought nothing of it. The fact that the owner of Camel cigarettes thought it would be a good idea to survey doctors and find out what brands they all smoked seems preposterous, but there it is. I guess it all comes down to trust and doctors have the ultimate trust bestowed upon them by the likes of you and me. Notice the "T-zone" diagram shown in the bottom right hand corner of the advert where it says "T is for taste" and "T is for Throat". You'd be doing well to find a doctor who smokes Camel cigarettes these days, but I'll bet there are some...
I have a confession to make. I am a man and there are jars and bottles that I struggle to open (a beetroot jar in particular of late). So does this make me less of a man? This blatantly-sexist ad which is for some brand of tomato sauce gets straight to the point, presumably in reference to an easy-open screw cap that they have just produced. If the "weaker sex" can do it then so can anyone, is the claim. They've underlined the word "woman" as well, in case it went over your head.
In the current modern day climate "sugar" is the new evil. Forget tobacco, alcohol and saturated fat. It's sugar. So this advert takes on a whole new shocking level. The kid in the picture looks like he hasn't even reached his first birthday but here he is happily guzzling 7-Up from a bottle (and yes - it is a woman's hand at the end of the bottle). You must be asking yourself this question: did the woman open the bottle, or did she ask a man to do it? Next up for the kidling is tomato sauce, straight from the bottle.
Oh you little tigress, cooking, cleaning and dusting and yet when I get home you're still full of beans. When the man gets home from work he's shagged out. Ladies, if you want to see the positive in this Kellogg's vitamins ad then you might realise that the man acknowledges that the woman has been cooking, cleaning and dusting all day and he is surprised she is not tired. Therefore, he acknowledges that she has been working very hard. I know, it's not much is it. However, Kellogg's vitamins are a cunning ruse. She doesn't take them and she hasn't been cooking, cleaning and dusting all day. With a husband like that let's hope she has been keeping herself full of beans some other way. You decide.
Or how about, "blow on her face and she will punch your lights out"? This starry-eyed woman is transfixed by the man blowing smoke in her face. She clearly does not take the adverse health effects of inhaling secondary smoke very seriously. The question she should be asking here is what the hell is he smoking? Real men (and doctors) smoke Camels. Not those airy-fairy type brown cigarettes that you need a cigarette holder in one end, for goodness sake. She's wearing false eyelashes too, which makes her look even more misty-eyed. But she's not the guilty party here. HE IS!
I don't know about you but I couldn't think of anything better than treating myself to a new gun. Oh wow, especially at Christmas!! [Note. read all those words in a very sarcastic tone]. Now the US has got a great big fat gun culture and many US citizens love their guns. That is a debate for elsewhere. But wherever you stand on it, this advert glamourises gun ownership on a whole new level. You have really, really got to wonder....
Now this one takes us into a very dark area indeed. The creators of this advert must surely look back on it and wonder what on earth they were thinking. Where was the responsibility? This taps in to the beauty pageant culture but it takes on to a whole new level. In simple terms, the aim of this advert is to sell more deodorant by sexualising a child. Repugnant, even by the standards of the day.
Well, the baby is full of 7-Up and is probably getting bored of it by now, especially with all those nightly feeds. So it's time to change things around a bit and see if he likes cola as well. Does he? You sure as hell bet he does. Just look at that face. And just look at those incredible health claims such as "promotes active lifestyle" and "gives body essential sugars". OK, we didn't know then what we know now, but by the time this vintage cola advert came out we were on the way to putting a man on the moon and had built (and used) nuclear weapons. So is it not so much to ask why we never knew that cola drinks like this were full of crap and shouldn't be given to babies? In fact we went one step further, we promoted it for babies. "How soon is too soon? Not soon enough". You have to question those laboratory tests.
We are back in the land of sexist country once again in this Van Heusen advert and this time it's all about shirts and ties. Not only is the good lady serving breakfast to her man in bed, but she is also kneeling before him like he is some kind of god. First question: why is he wearing a shirt and tie in bed at all? Second question: is he wearing trousers? Third question, why are his hands behind is head? We must wonder if there is a another lady out of the shot pointing a gun at him (she treated herself last Christmas to a Colt "Woodman") and the man is being served arsenic tea which he will be forced to drink. Whatever it is supposed to mean (other than a flagrant attempt to downtread women) it doesn't mean to say that women will fall at the floor in front of you if you wear a Van Heusen shirt and tie. I tried it and didn't find it to work. Nor did I get breakfast in bed.
We enter into a new category here with this vintage Gillette razor ad and it's called the "frankly downright weird" category. I mean, this is downright weird, right? A baby slaps on shaving foam and brandishes a razor happily giving himself (or who knows it could be a she - it's dumb either way) a shave. Well OK, I think they are saying that by using this razor you get a shave so smooth your skin becomes like a baby's skin, but why the mental imagery? Yes it sticks in the mind but that takes me back to my previous point. It's downright weird and cringey. Since those days of course Gillette have come up with the cunning idea of adding extra blades to their razors. But wait, sorry Gillette - beards are back in fashion!
Babies, motherhood and cigarettes. They go to together like....fire and ice. Quite what is being suggested here in this cigarette ad goodness only knows but it's clear to see that the advertiser is targeting young mothers. Maybe that's so they pass on their smoking habits to their children? It's appalling whichever way you think about it. These are gentle cigarettes, we read. Gentle like the care of a mother to her baby. I'm sorry, I'm lost now in whatever message it was supposed to be. At least she's not holding a cigarette and the baby at the same time.
Weird and freaky is this old Panasonic ad, presumably celebrating a woman's triumph over her alopecia and the irony that she feels holding one of these hairdryers. Or have Colt brought out a new gun? It looks like Flash Gordon would have used this. The advert grabs your attention whichever way you want to look at it, but the question is, since she can't dry her hair then in what way does she find the hairdryer "fun"? Perhaps it's a fun way of drying out spillages on the floor, although I'd suggest there are quicker ways of doing that. Maybe it's a personal heating device. Oh I don't know. It's a ludicrous advert that would never see the light of day now.
You can buy some fantastic Scarface prints at They'll Love It and this article takes an in-depth look at the iconic movie Scarface, including famous quotes and scenes.
If someone was to ask you to name a famous movie from the gangster or crime genre, then there is a very strong possibility that you might opt for Scarface. This violent piece of cinema history has become an iconic film of our time despite opening to very negative critical (and public) response when it was first released. It is actually a reboot of an old 1930’s picture of the same name although there has been some major alterations in terms of the characters, the setting and the plot! The film follows Tony Montana, a character largely believed to be based on real life gangster Al Capone. The role is the one that actor Al Pacino is most famous for playing and it is certainly Tony Montana who is the most recognized element of the movie. There is just something about this film that has captured the hearts of generations – whether this is down to the snappy lines of dialogue that everyone can recall or the iconic, if sometimes horrific scene is anybody’s guess. One thing is for sure Scarface is and always will be one of the most iconic movies of all time!
Many would say that Scarface was the movie that cemented Al Pacino’s career and watching his performance as Scarface’s lead male Tony Montana it would be difficult to argue otherwise. However, Pacino had already starred in a number a successful movies and secured several Oscar and Golden Globe nominations including the role of Michael Corleone in The Godfather Trilogy. In spite of the fact that Pacino had already cemented himself as a bona fide star before Scarface was released, their can be little doubt that Tony Montana will forever be the role that he is best known for.
What would Tony Montana be without his Elvira? It is a well documented fact that Al Pacino was very resistant to allowing Michelle Pfeiffer to be cast in the role of his love interest Elvira Hancock. At the time, Pfeiffer’s only notable film appearance had been the lead role in box office flop Grease 2. However, producer Martin Bergman saw potential and pushed for her to be cast. The role would prove to be a break out moment for Pfeiffer who has since gone on to enjoy considerable success with leading roles in movies including Batman Returns, Dangerous Minds, The Witches of Eastwick and Dark Shadows.
Of course, Elvira isn’t the only woman in Tony Montana’s life. Montana has what some would term a near incestuous relationship with his ‘kid’ sister Gina. Tony is highly protective of Gina, largely out of guilt that he has not been a good brother too her in the past. He is frequently jealous when Gina garners the attention of men – even when they are friends of Tony’s. The part of Gina is played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio in her first big role. She went on to star in many film and tv projects including her portrayal of Maid Marian opposite Kevin Costner in Robin Hood : Prince of Thieves and more recently a recurring role on TV series Grimm.
Every protagonist needs his nemesis and for Tony Montana that would be Bolivian drug lord Alejandro ‘Alex’ Sosa played by Paul Shenar. Scarface was very much the first major film role for Shenar who had spent most of the 70’s in small tv series and made for tv movie roles. Following his portrayal of Sosa he became a recurring cast member on Dynasty and featured in a number of films including Raw Deal and Man on Fire.
A complete list of the main cast of Scarface can be found below :
Scarface is such an iconic piece of cinema, that you would find it very difficult to find someone who has not heard of it. However, even if people have heard of the movie they may not actually have seen it and may not be sure of what it is actually about. With that in mind, let’s take a brief look at the synopsis of the film to give those who haven’t seen it a rough idea of what to expect.
In short, Scarface is a crime drama that tells the story of Cuban refugee Tony Montana who arrives in Miami in 1980 and quickly becomes involved with the Cuban Mafia and becomes a powerful drug lord. His life spirals out of control as he becomes addicted to the cocaine he is distributing and he meets a violent and untimely end. A more detailed synopsis can be found below.
Scarface is set in 1980 and sees Cuban immigrant Tony Montana arrive in Florida in search of the fabled ‘ American Dream’. Unfortunately for Montana when he arrives and claims asylum in the United States, the INS officials interviewing him recognise a tattoo on his arm that marks him as a known hitman and detain him in camp ‘Freedomtown’ alongside his friend Manny while their visa applications are reviewed. The pair spend a month at the camp before Manny is approached by the Cuban Mafia who ask that they kill a former aide to Fidel Castro who is also in the camp in exchange for their Green Cards. Tony carries out the task during a riot and secures the paperwork for himself and Manny.
The pair find work as dishwashers in a taco joint, but are soon tracked down by Frank Lopez – the man behind the hit performed in exchange for their Green Cards. Lopex offers them a job unloading an incoming drugs shipment; however, Tony turns him down saying they are not paying enough and soon arranges an alternative job accompanying Angel and ChiChi collecting two kilos of cocaine from a Columbian drug dealer (Hector the Toad). The job does not go to plan as Hector attempts to double cross Tony and steal the cocaine. In an attempt to prompt Tony into handing over the money Hector dismembers Angel with a chainsaw in one of the films most iconic scenes! However, Manny and ChiChi save Tony from a similar fate. Tony goes after Hector shooting him dead in the street. Lopez is impressed and quickly hires Tony into the Cuban Mafia where he quickly begins to rise through the ranks of Miami’s underground drugs trade.
Tony meets and falls for Lopez’s girlfriend Elvira. Eventually Tony goes out on his own leaving Lopez behind. This also leaves Tony free to pursue Elvira. This leads to a great deal of tension, ultimately ends with Tony killing Lopez. Meanwhile Manny gets into a relationship with Tony’s sister Gina much to Tony’s disgust. Tony is very overprotective of his sister to the point of obsession. As his business becomes more successful Tony grows increasingly paranoid as his addiction to cocaine spirals out of control. Gradually the world and lifestyle that Tony has built for himself begins to crumble around him ending with the final scene in which we see Tony dead – face down in a pool.
Today, Scarface is considered to be one of the best films of all time. However, this was not always the case. When the movie was first released in 1981 it faced some harsh critiscism over its use of frequent strong language, the hard drug use and what some felt was an excessive use of graphic violence. In addition to this, a large percentage of Miami’s Cuban population felt that the film portrated them as stereotypical criminals and drug traffickers. It was one of those movies that people either loved or hated. Despite the fact that it was panned by the critics – or perhaps because of it – Scarface went on to become a box office smash! The film grossed $65.8 million making it the 16th highest grossing movie of the year and the 7th highest grossing R-Rated film of 1983.
Rumour has it that film director Martin Scorsese pulled Scarface director Steven Bauer aside after the premier and congratulated him, but not Bauer took this to mean that the key message of his film was that when chasing the American Dream, if you get too greedy it will crumble beneath you – and when we think about it isn’t that exactly what happened to Tony Montana? Scorsese may have been right, because critics and Hollywood insiders were quick to tear the film to shreds labeling it as an ‘overblown B movie’ and accused it of “wallowing in excess and unpleasantness for nearly three hours’! The film ended up succeeding at the box office but soon faded into obscurity, seemingly doomed to be forgotten!
It wasn’t until the mid nineties that Scarface began to resurface in our collective consciousness. Steven Bauer says that he first noticed that while watch MTVs Cribs show, an increasing number of rappers were using Scarface movie posters in their home décor. Soon after that, quotes from the movie started to appear in other contexts – most notably the favorite ‘say hello to my little friend’ line. Nowadays it is the subject of much more positive reviews from directors, screenwriters and movie goers alike. It has now considered to be a classic film a point which is highlighted by the way that it has become ingrained into our society thanks to an abundance of cultural references that can be seen in books, television, video games and more! Many would say that Scarface was simply ahead of its time!
Scarface is a film which is jam packed with iconic scenes and memorable dialogue. We have put together our top 5 scenes below along with a brief outline of why we think they are key moments in the movie. Some of these are included in the list because they are completely shocking. Others are included because they really express the key points of the film and others simply had to be included because they are the most memorable parts of the film. Please be aware that the following clips may contain graphic violence and strong language.
Perhaps the most infamous scene in the entire film is the horrifying ‘Chainsaw Scene’. As a drug deal with the Colombians turns bad Tony Montana is forced to watch as Angel is tied to a shower rod and dismembered with a chainsaw. It is only the arrival of Manny and ChiChi that saves Tony from meeting the same fate. The scene is harrowing to watch despite the fact that none of the dismemberment is ever shown on screen. Instead, through the clever use of implied violence the audience is forced to imagine what Tony must be seeing. There is plenty of blood splattered around the bathroom walls and the continuous drone of the chainsaw adds to the drama, but it is Al Pacino’s face that truly sells the scene. Watching the sickened expressions on his face and the look of genuine terror in his eyes as he fights to turn his head away it is all too easy for us to imagine what it would be like to witness such a horrific act.
Interestingly, in order to secure a R rating instead of a X rating for Scarface a solitary shot was cut from the film – this was a single shot of Angel’s dismembered arm hanging from the shower rod after the murder. One of the things that really drives home the graphic violence of the scene is the way that it is juxtaposed with the external shots. As we are watching Tony being forced to witness his friend brutal torn to pieces in a dingy hotel bathroom, the scene is cut with shots of Manny and ChiChi flirting with scantily clad women outside in the bright Miami sunshine totally unaware of the horrors unfolding in the hotel room. Few horror films have ever managed to capture a similar feeling of genuine terror on film and rumour has it that several high profile Hollywood names actually walked out of the premier during the scene. Aside from being one of the most shocking movie scenes of its time, the scene also makes our top 5 list becasue it shows Tony’s vulnerable side. For all his bluster and bravado he still found it very difficult to watch the slaughter with the Columbians forcefully holding his head in place to stop him looking away. Underneath it all Tony is a normal guy just looking for his place in the world and who has been swept away by events beyond his control.
In this scene Elvira finally reaches her breaking point and leaves Tony. This prompts Tony to enter into a drunken rant directed towards the other diners in the restaurant. He shines a light on their hypocrisy by telling them that although they look at him as the bad guy at least he is being honest about who he is. He accuses the onlookers of hiding and tells them that they need people like him so that they can point and say that he is the bad guy and they are not. Tony Montana came to America in pursuit of the American dream. In some twisted way he found it – after all here he is married to a beautiful woman, living a lavish lifestyle with more money than he could ever need. He is essentially a self made man having come to the United States with nothing. However, none of it has brought him happiness and this scene is highlighting the fact that the American Dream comes at a price. Martin Scorcese is said to have warned director Brian De Palma that Hollywood would hate him because the film was about them and in this scene it is easy to see what he meant. It leaves us questioning whether or not Tony Montana truly is the ‘bad guy’ in this story. We have seen on multiple occasions that he is not as violent or as bad as many of the other people he comes into contact with. Could it be a case of his life having sprialled out of his own control in his eternal search for his American Dream?
We couldn’t have a list of the top scenes in Scarface without including the most recognised line in the movie. Even people who have not seen Scarface are able to quote this line from memory! In this scene, Gina has just died and Sosa’s men are storming Tony’s mansion. Tony has nobody left and faces his assailants alone. The scene illustrates just how far Tony has fallen. A combination of the excessive drug use and the gradual destruction of everyone that Tony has loved or trusted has sent him spiralling into madness. On seeing Sosa’s men blast through his compound with relative ease, Tony arms himself with an assault rifle with a grenade launcher attachment and opens fire through his office door while screaming the immortal line ‘say hello to my little friend’. He rains machine gun fire on Sosa’s men while taking multiple hits himself, but remains standing. However, Sosa’s henchman ‘The Skull’ has crept up behind him and shoots him point blank with a double barrelled shot gun. Tony falls into the pool below and is seen in the final scene floating face down beneath the words ‘ The World is Yours’. This symbolic death is a stark warning about the price of chasing the American Dream.
Tony is over protective of his sister Gina to the point of obsession. He does not want any man to have her and goes so far as to murder his best friend for being with her. Gina is distraught over Manny’s death and in this scene she enters Tony’s office and taunts him about how he has always wanted her sexually and that’s why he didn’t want another man to have her. She starts shooting at him and manages to get him in the leg. Neither of them are aware that a hitman is on Tony’s balcony. He bursts in and starts shooting with Gina getting caught in the crossfire. Tony kills the hitman before returning to Gina and trying to comfort her despite the fact that she is already dead. He begs her forgiveness and tells her that he loves her. This scene is another which highlights Tony’s deep feelings for Gina. He is devastated by her death and has lost yet another important person in his life. Ultimately he is guilty that it was him who got Gina involved in this lifestyle and that he has once again let her down.
From the outset of the film, Manny and Tony are best friends. They arrived together from Cuba, entered the detainment camp together, started work for the Mafia together and never leave one another’s side. However, if there is one aspect of his life that Tony will not share with Manny it is his baby sister Gina. When Manny first expresses an interest in Gina, Tony is quick to nip it in the bud. However, unbeknownst to Tony the pair still embark on a relationship and end up getting married in secret while Tony is off on a mission. The day after the wedding, Tony calls on Manny and as he answers the door Gina appears at the top of the stairs wearing only a robe. It is clear that Manny has slept with Gina and this sends Tony into a rage causing him to shoot Tony. Gina then reveals that they had gotten married and were planning on surprising Tony. This particular scene is key because it is the first time that the audience are really confronted with the depth of Tony’s obsession with his sister. Tony is overprotective of Gina largely out of his own shame at not being there for his sister when she was growing up. However, many critics have noted that Tony’s obsession often takes on a sexual overtone as well. In this moment we see how deep that obsession goes, with Tony willing to murder his best friend with no hesitation.
When a movie becomes truly iconic, famous lines from the script find their way into popular culture and are often used in day to day conversation! This is something that is certainly true of Scarface – in fact, there are hundreds of people who will actually regularly recite lines from the movie who have not even seen it! The movie has simply become so popular that even the classic lines of dialogue have become pop culture references in their own right. With that in mind, we have put together our top ten most memorable lines from Scarface.
Scarface Quotes:
You will note that most of the most memorable lines are delivered by Tony Montana which is a testament to just how iconic the character is – largely down to Al Pacino’s portrayal of the character!
When a movie becomes as iconic as Scarface has, people often feel that they know everything about it! However, there are some interesting things that you might not know about the film. Check out our favourite 5 pieces of little known Scarface trivia!
When talking about the critical (and public) reception of the Scarface movie we saw that it was not particularly well received. In fact, it did not gain any real popularity until the 1990’s – almost a decade after it was first released and now almost 30 years later it is considered to be something of a cult classic! So was Scarface a movie which was simply ahead of its time?
At its release most people simply found Scarface to be over the top, unnecessarily violent and quiet simply trashy! The Cuban community felt it promoted negative stereotypes and audiences in general just felt that that the movie was too gaudy and camp. However, it also had an undeniable energy and it is that energy that has help Tony Montana’s story to endure. As the decade progressed it became increasingly clear that director Brian De Palam and writer Oliver Stone were in fact on to something! With the benefit of hindsight Scarface was a prediction of what was to come – as the 1990’s came and went we saw the rise of excessive consumerism and an explosion of reality TV fuelled egomania! It became clear that the film was simply ahead of it’s time!
By the mid 90’s, Scarface had found itself a brand new audience and it was one which truly appreciated the now iconic piece of cinema. The hip hop culture embraced Tony Montana as one of their own. For up and coming stars like Snoop Dogg and his peers Scarface was able to capture what it was like to be an outsider fighting to the top. The vulgar displays of wealth and the need to have a beautiful woman at your side were something the hip hop generation could identify with – it was important to amass whatever you could because you never knew when it would all end – perhaps in a violent way just like Tony Montana. If you watched MTV in the 90’s you may have noticed that every rapstar on Cribs had a frames Scarface poster in their home!
The truth is, that as much as we might hate to admit it – Scarface captured the true spirit of the ‘American Dream’ in all its dark and twisted glory! Tony Montana is the ultimate anti-hero. He is on the surface the ultimate bad guy, but you cannot help but respect the fact that he has come to the United States with nothing and worked his way to the top. We are forced to ask ourselves what is more important – making it to the top, or how you do it?
So it’s been more than 30 years and Scarface has endured. From humble beginnings it has become one of the most popular films of all time! But how have the stars of this cult classic faired over the past 3 decades? Let’s take a look at where they are now!
In conclusion, Scarface is one movie that simply cannot be ignored! Despite getting off to a rocky start and debuting to terrible reviews it did manage some degree of success at the box office. No-one could have predicted that it would enjoy a renewed interest ten years later or that it would be the cult classic that it is now 30 years after it was originally released. Few movies have managed to saturate pop culture the way that Scarface has. Tony Montana’s ravaged face adorns products of every description and people everywhere will quote him at any given opportunity. Is Scarface a violent and over the top depiction of Cuban immigrants? Of course it is, but that doesn’t stop watching it from being a fantastic way to spend a few hours! Scarface has become a symbol for the outsiders of chasing the American Dream. I think Montana himself sums it up perfectly – ‘first you get the money, then you get the power and then you get the women.’ The popularity of Scarface is something that looks like it will endure for many years to come. It seems we are just not ready to ‘say goodnight to the bad guy’!
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