This work is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from Pest Control

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Auckland

Banksy's Flying Copper depicts a strangely, paradoxical policeman, fully kitted with gun, helmet, walkie-talkie and handcuffs, but topped with a smiley face and a pair of wings. The smiley face is both a nod to 1990s acid house culture and the innocence of childhood.

This work first appeared under a number of giant cut-out paintings suspended on cardboard from the ceiling at Turf War, Banksy's first major exhibition in East London in 2003. The cut-outs were then spotted on the streets of Vienna and London, where the stencil appeared with a distinct red Banksy tag through the middle of it.

London's Shoreditch Bridge also featured a row of Banksy Flying Coppers, but the installation was stolen and subsequently became the subject of Christopher Thompson's 2012 documentary How to sell a Banksy.

Banksy's artwork is based on the appropriation of pop culture and contrasts. While there is a clear disparity between the happiness and simplicity of the smiley face and the policeman's attire, there is an element of the warrior-protector. Flying Copper underlines a theme consistent in the artist's work - scepticism towards figures of authority and power.