Colston Bristol T-Shirt

This particular shirt was purchased at Friendly Records in Bedminster, one of only 5 locations in Bristol that sold out shortly after it went on sale in the early morning hours of Saturday, December 11th 2021 after throngs of customers were lined up waiting for the shops to open. The sale of these shirts were part of Banksy's campaign to raise money for "The Colston Four", a group of people who are on trial for taking down a statue of Edward Colston, a British slave trader, and throwing it into the river. Each of the 5 locations were given 300 of these shirts to sell, making them a limited edition of 1500.

Dimensions: Men's XS

Medium: 3-Color Screen Print on cotton gray T-shirt officially designed by Banksy and manufactured by Stanley/Stella clothing makers.

Provenance: Copy of original Pest Control receipt. Hand numbered on back of tag. Certificate of authenticity from gallery.

Limited Edition: Limited Edition of 1500 

Year: 2021

Condition: New (never worn)

ARTIST BIO

Banksy (British, born c. 1974/1975) is one of the most well-known, if anonymous, street artists working today. Banksy, the pseudonym adopted by the artist, guards his privacy and the details of his life remain largely unknown to the public. He initially garnered fame for his graffiti, which combines spray paint and stenciling techniques with commercial, political, and contemporary imagery, infused with ironic social commentary and humor. His work first began appearing on walls in and around Bristol and London’s Shoreditch district during the mid-1990s, and he has since gone on to place images on the sides of corporate buildings, billboards, and the Israeli West Bank wall.

The unveiling of a new Banksy works often incorporates pranks or performance. For example, he secretly added his own pieces in museums like the Tate Modern in London or the Paris Louvre, smuggling them in under a coat and discreetly affixing them to a wall. He has also opened gallery shows to the public with specially-bred rats running around the space, and once inserted an inflatable doll dressed as a Guantanamo Bay prisoner into the Disneyland theme park in California.

In 2015, Banksy created a large-scale installation titled Dismaland Bemusement Park, and immersive and fully functional amusement park that featured political commentary on the distribution of wealth, sexism, and the UK government. The park operated from August to September of 2015, was funded by Banksy himself. In addition to his regular graffiti practice, Banksy creates works for several charities, and consistently opens exhibitions to wide audiences and critical acclaim. He lives and works in England.