One of Banksy’s Earliest Pulp Fiction Prints Fetches Over $160K at The Tate Ward Auction

The Pulp Fiction stencil from the recent Tate Ward auction is one of the notorious artist’s earliest works. Incidentally, this is the one that also bankrolled Banksy’s career.

Nov 30, 2020 | By Julia Roxan

Visible along the streets of London, near Old Street tube station up till 2007, the infamous ‘Pulp Fiction’ stenciled composition first appeared in 2002, before being released in 2004 as an edition of 150 signed and 600 unsigned prints. Conceptualized by none other than the UK’s most notorious street artist, Banksy, the instances depicted included characters played by Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta in the 1994 film ‘Pulp Fiction’, with their guns replaced by bananas.

One of Banksy’s Earliest Pulp Fiction Prints Fetches Over $160K at The Tate Ward Auction

Covered by Transport for London, Banksy’s mural is regarded a magnet for art enthusiasts and tourists alike, drawing crowds despite an atmosphere of social decay and neglect in the capital. When the mural was covered, a local artist sprayed-painted the words “Come Back” in its place, addressed to Banksy. Not long after, the artist re-tagged his original Pulp Fiction in exactly the same place, though this time the characters held real pistols and donned banana costumes instead.

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Fetching approximately USD$ 166,331 at the recent Tate Ward auction, ‘Pulp Fiction’ was amongst diverse variety of contemporary art available for sale. Hosted online, the auction titled, “By Collectors for Collectors,” featured works by Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Anish Kapoor, Damien Hirst, and Cy Twombly, among many others. The print which dates back to 2004, marks the second ‘Pulp Fiction’ stencil sold on auction since 2012, though a great number are still available online for an estimated £1,000.


 
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