(Fr)agile
1 work
Banksy Flying Copper (Signed) For Sale
Banksy
Flying Copper (Signed), 2003
Screen print
39 3/8 x 27 1/2 in 100 x 70 cm
Edition
Edition of 150
About this work
Banksy's Flying Copper, created in the early 2000s, stands as a significant piece in the mysterious and influential street artist's collection. Known for his provocative and politically charged work, Banksy in this piece presents a compelling juxtaposition of authority and whimsy that is characteristic of his approach to art.The artwork features a heavily armed, helmeted police officer, or copper, but with an unexpected twist: instead of hands, the officer is holding bright yellow smiley-faced balloons. Additionally, the figure is adorned with angel wings, adding a surreal and contradictory element to the image. This combination of a symbol of authority with childlike, whimsical elements is a classic example of Banksy’s style, where he frequently employs contrasts to challenge viewers' perceptions and societal norms.At its core, Flying Copper can be seen as a critique of authority and power. The presence of a police officer, traditionally a figure of stern authority and control, holding innocuous balloons, undermines the conventional image of the police. Furthermore, the addition of angel wings to this armed figure creates an ironic interplay between the themes of protection and oppression, suggesting a complex and multifaceted view of law enforcement.The visual style of Flying Copper is marked by Banksy's signature stencil technique, creating a stark and impactful visual impression. The monochromatic color scheme of the officer, contrasted sharply with the vibrant yellow of the balloons, serves to draw the viewer’s attention and emphasize the absurdity of the juxtaposition.Like much of Banksy's work, Flying Copper is open to various interpretations but engages deeply with themes of power, authority, and societal norms. It invites viewers to reconsider their assumptions about law enforcement and authority figures.The piece has been reproduced in various forms, including as a screen print, and has become a sought-after item in the art market. The popularity of Flying Copper underscores Banksy's ability to resonate with a broad audience by blending humor, social commentary, and visually striking imagery. This artwork remains a poignant example of Banksy’s unique approach to art and his ongoing critique of societal structures and norms.
Price on Application
Auction History
Flying Copper · Banksy · Phillips · 2020-12 · $105,623
FLYING COPPER · Banksy · Sotheby's · 2020-09 · $97,963
Flying Copper · Banksy · Sotheby's · 2023-04 · $75,680
Flying Copper · Banksy · Sotheby's · 2022-08 · $53,229
Flying Copper · Banksy · Christie's · 2018-09 · $52,703
More from this series
More series by Banksy
About the Flying Copper Series
Banksy Flying Copper Prints For Sale
Flying Copper represents one of Banksy's most politically charged and visually arresting series from his pivotal early 2000s period. Created between 2003 and 2004, these works depict a uniformed police officer suspended in mid-air by a colorful cluster of balloons—a powerful satirical image that encapsulates the artist's criticism of institutional authority while maintaining his signature dark humor. The series demonstrates Banksy's evolution from street artist to cultural commentator, transforming the symbol of law enforcement into a figure of absurd weightlessness, stripped of ground-level power and control.
Executed in Banksy's characteristic stencil technique, the Flying Copper works showcase the artist's mastery of screen printing and spray paint application. The series variations include both signed and unsigned editions, with notable differences including the Pink Face variant that adds a surrealist dimension to the officer's appearance. The 2003 and 2004 editions reveal Banksy's refinement of the image over consecutive years, with signed versions commanding significantly higher valuations in the secondary market. The technical precision required to create the multi-layered stencil—capturing the officer's uniform details, facial features, and the delicate balloon strings—exemplifies why Banksy's screen prints have become benchmarks of contemporary printmaking.
From a market perspective, the Flying Copper series occupies an important position within Banksy's oeuvre as examples from his formative commercial period, predating his explosion into mainstream consciousness. Signed editions from this series are particularly sought-after by collectors, representing authenticated works from a time when Banksy's gallery releases were limited and his street credibility remained intact. The imagery has proven timeless, with its commentary on police authority resonating across different political contexts and geographic markets. Variations in edition status, signature authentication, and color treatments create distinct investment tiers within the series, making these works accessible to emerging collectors while maintaining strong appreciation potential for premium signed examples.
For authentication, provenance verification, and acquisition of works from Banksy's Flying Copper series, contact Guy Hepner.
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.