A stab-proof vest decorated with a union jack flag created by British street artist Banksy, similar to one worn by hip-hop star Stormzy at the Glastonbury Festival, sold in London for $1,018,641.00 on Wednesday. (Oct. 10)

The vest, made from a former police issue garment, was one of five created by the graffiti artist to highlight the high levels of knife crime in the UK and went under the hammer at Sotheby’s auction house.

British rapper Stormzy made the vest famous when he wore another from the same collection during his 2019 performance on Glastonbury’s main stage.

 

 

“In a way only Banksy can, he manages to powerfully condense a complex social issue through one redolent object,” said Emma Baker, head of contemporary evening sale at Sotheby’s.

“There is no doubt this artwork is more pertinent now than when the first vest debuted at Glastonbury — an event that saw it become the symbol of a defining cultural moment,” she added.

The sale value was more than double the pre-sale estimate of $391,000.

 

Sotheby’s Product Description:

A poignant and provocative work, Banksy’s Vest from 2019 fuses patriotism with the realities of violence sweeping a nation, rendering it an unforgettable reflection on the fractured state of British identity. One of only five in existence, Vest belongs to Banksy’s Gross Domestic Product homewares line, which was first displayed in a shopfront in Croydon in South London in 2019, to comment on the impending commercialization of the Banksy brand. Addressing the stark realities of the United Kingdom’s surge in knife crime, the present work is a striking reinterpretation of the traditional John Bull gentleman’s waistcoat – an item long associated with British society, from the working class to the elite. Vest is a piece of armor incorporating a genuine, former police-issue bullet proof vest capable of stopping rounds from a gun. An object associated with law and order, or worn from fear and paranoia, Vest is adorned with a black, white, and blue Union Jack, however, the iconographic somber tones are disrupted by a rusty red hue suggestive of dried blood. This subtle yet powerful insinuation of threat to life evokes a sense of mourning, marking Vest as a chilling emblem of Britain’s present moment.

 

 

Banksy chose one of the biggest platforms in music to disseminate his message: Glastonbury Festival. During his historic 2019 Pyramid Stage headline performance, British grime musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-award-winning artist Stormzy donned one of Banksy’s Vests, injecting a potent layer of visual tension into his electrifying set. Like Banksy, Stormzy used his platform to highlight systemic injustices, particularly the targeting of young Black men by a biased judicial system, as well as endemic surges in knife crime and widespread political unrest. His performance was visually punctuated by the stark imagery of the words “knife crime” projected behind him, alongside an excerpt from a speech by MP David Lammy, emphasizing the pressing issues plaguing the nation. In Stormzy’s hands, Banksy’s Vest transcended its utilitarian function, becoming a charged statement criticizing the fractured state of Britain. Amid the spectacle of his performance, Vest encapsulated the tension between strength and vulnerability, hope and despair, standing as a banner of a divided nation, where national identity is both celebrated and contested.