PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Auckland
Purchased from Pictures on Walls,
London, 2005 by current owner.

Authenticated by Pest Control

Golf Sale was one of the first Banksy prints to be officially released. It was printed by Pictures on Walls of London as an edition of 750, comprising 150 signed and 600 unsigned prints. Golf Sale is almost identical to the Tiananmen Square Tank Man photograph taken by Jeff Widener in 1989. Sometimes called the Unknown Protester, the incident took place in the aftermath of the Chinese military's violent suppression of the '89 Democracy Movement. A man stood directly and defiantly in front of Chinese military tanks attempting to block their path through Beijing. It is widely considered one of the most notable acts of non-violent intervention and is an iconic image of the 20th century. In his interpretation, Banksy recreates the scene in black and white, as is typical of his style, the protester stands in front of three imposing tanks, and into his hand, Banksy has placed a sign, simply reading GOLF SALE. In Banky's 2001 publication Banging Your Head Against A Brick Wall, the artist said "We can't do anything to change the world until capitalism crumbles. In the meantime, we should all go shopping to console ourselves."