(Fr)agile
1 work
Banksy Wrong War Cardboard (Bomb Hugger , Grin Reaper , Happy Chopper) For Sale
Banksy
Wrong War Cardboard (Bomb Hugger , Grin Reaper , Happy Chopper), 2003
Stencil and spray paint on cardboard
Bomb Hugger 34 x 21 in 86.4 x 53.3 cm Grin Reaper 34 x 21 in 86.4 x 53.3 cm Happy Chopper 27 1/8 x 23 5/8 in 69 x 60 cm
About this work
This triptych of stenciled works on cardboard presents three provocative anti-war images created during the lead-up to the Iraq War. The pieces feature Banksy's characteristic dark humor: a figure embracing a missile, the Grim Reaper rendered with a sinister grin, and a military helicopter adorned with an incongruous cheerful expression. Executed in stark black spray paint against raw cardboard, the works demonstrate the artist's signature high-contrast stencil technique, where deliberate simplicity amplifies the satirical message. The choice of cardboard as substrate adds layers of meaning, evoking both protest signage and the disposability of human life in conflict. These works represent a pivotal moment in Banksy's career when his politically charged street art began gaining serious recognition in the contemporary art market. Created during a watershed period of global anti-war sentiment, they exemplify his ability to distill complex geopolitical commentary into immediately accessible visual statements. The trilogy format and raw materiality make this collection particularly significant for collectors seeking early examples of Banksy's subversive commentary on military intervention. Available for purchase — enquire for price and availability.
Price on Application
Auction History
Wrong War · Banksy · China Guardian · 2020-10 · $1,847
More from this series
More series by Banksy
About the Bomb Hugger Series
Banksy Bomb Hugger Prints For Sale
The Bomb Hugger series represents one of Banksy's most poignant anti-war statements from 2003, created during the height of the Iraq War protests. This body of work depicts a young girl embracing a falling bomb with childlike innocence, creating a jarring juxtaposition between childhood vulnerability and instruments of mass destruction. The series emerged as part of Banksy's broader "Wrong War" campaign, which included related imagery such as the Grin Reaper and Happy Chopper. These works mark a pivotal moment in the artist's evolution from underground graffiti provocateur to internationally recognized social commentator, cementing his reputation for transforming political critique into accessible, emotionally resonant visual language.
Technically, the Bomb Hugger series showcases Banksy's mastery of stencil-based screen printing and spray paint application, executed on various substrates including paper and cardboard. The signed editions from 2003 are particularly significant to collectors, as they represent authenticated works from a crucial period before Banksy's meteoric rise in the secondary market. The cardboard variants demonstrate the artist's deliberate use of humble materials to underscore anti-establishment messaging, while the multi-image compositions combining Bomb Hugger with Grin Reaper and Happy Chopper create a comprehensive narrative of war's absurdity. The stark monochromatic palette and precise stencil work exemplify the street art aesthetic that would later command unprecedented prices at auction.
From a market perspective, early Banksy works from 2003—particularly signed examples—represent blue-chip acquisitions for serious collectors of contemporary street art. The Bomb Hugger series predates the artist's explosion into mainstream consciousness, making these pieces historically significant markers of his formative period. Unsigned variants offer accessible entry points to Banksy's oeuvre, while signed examples and rare cardboard editions command premium positioning. The series' anti-war message remains timelessly relevant, ensuring sustained cultural and monetary value. As institutional recognition of street art continues to expand, authenticated works from this era represent cornerstone investments for comprehensive collections.
Guy Hepner specializes in authenticated Banksy works, offering collectors access to museum-quality examples from the artist's most significant series, including rare pieces from the 2003 Wrong War campaign.
About Banksy
Banksy prints for sale at Guy Hepner include authenticated signed and unsigned editions: Girl with Balloon, Choose Your Weapon, Tesco Soup Cans, Fragile, Laugh Now, and Flower Thrower. Buy Banksy prints in New York through our gallery at 177 Tenth Avenue — all works sourced with full provenance and authentication documentation. We also buy Banksy art and offer free valuations for sellers.
Banksy is the world’s most celebrated anonymous street artist — a figure whose identity remains unknown but whose visual language is instantly recognisable across continents. Emerging from the Bristol graffiti scene in the early 1990s, Banksy developed a stencil-based technique that allowed rapid, precise execution on walls, bridges, and public surfaces from London and New York to Gaza and the West Bank. His work fuses dark humour, political provocation, and formal rigour in a way that has made him equally at home on the street and in the auction room. Today, Banksy art for sale represents one of the most dynamic and hotly contested segments of the contemporary secondary market.
Banksy Art For Sale
Banksy art for sale encompasses original spray-painted canvases, unique works on board, signed and unsigned print editions, and — on rare occasions — documented wall works sold with photographic authentication. The breadth of subjects he has addressed is remarkable: consumer capitalism (Tesco Soup Cans, Trolley Hunters), celebrity culture (Kate Moss, Andy Warhol), surveillance and control (Radar Rat, CCTV Watching), and hope and fragility (Girl with Balloon, Fragile).
The benchmark auction event in Banksy’s market history remains the October 2018 Sotheby’s London sale, when Girl with Balloon — having just sold for £1.04 million — was partially shredded by a device concealed in the frame, becoming Love is in the Bin. The reconstituted work subsequently sold in October 2021 for £18.5 million, underscoring the extraordinary commercial power of Banksy’s interventions and the appetite of the global collector base for his most iconic imagery.
Banksy Paintings For Sale
Banksy paintings for sale — unique spray-painted works on canvas or board — are the rarest and most valuable category of his output. These works, typically produced in small numbers for specific shows or commissions, carry full documentation from Pest Control and have appeared at auction with results ranging from six to eight figures. Choose Your Weapon, Monkey Parliament, and large-format stencil canvases from his early 2000s output represent the apex of private collector demand.
Provenance is paramount for Banksy paintings. Unbroken ownership history from first sale through to the present day, combined with a current Pest Control certificate, is the minimum standard for any serious acquisition. Works without this documentation carry substantial authentication risk regardless of visual appearance.
Banksy Prints: Signed vs Unsigned
Banksy print editions form the most accessible and widely traded category of his market. Published through his own distribution channels and in very limited numbers, these screenprints exist in signed and unsigned variants — a distinction that has a significant impact on value. Signed editions — with Banksy’s hand signature — command multiples of two to five times comparable unsigned editions in the same print run.
Key print series sought by collectors include: Girl with Balloon (multiple colourways), Choose Your Weapon, Kate Moss, Tesco Soup Cans, Fragile, Radar Rat, Flower Thrower, and Di-Faced Tenners. Edition sizes vary from as few as 150 to several hundred, and sell-through rates at auction confirm strong secondary demand across all major series.
Banksy Authentication: Pest Control
Pest Control is Banksy’s official authentication body and the only organisation authorised to certify works as genuine. When you buy Banksy prints or original art, a current Pest Control Certificate of Authenticity (COA) is the non-negotiable standard. The COA features a torn currency note — half retained by Pest Control, half with the work — as a security measure, and is registered against a specific edition and owner.
At Guy Hepner Gallery, every Banksy work offered for sale is accompanied by Pest Control documentation. We do not offer works without verified authentication, and our team is available to guide collectors through the acquisition process, including condition reporting, framing recommendations, and insurance valuation.
Ready to buy Banksy art? Contact Guy Hepner to explore our current inventory of authenticated Banksy prints and original works.