Banksy | Di-Faced Tenner

Banksy (b. c.1974)
Di-Faced Tenner, 2004
Offset lithograph on paper | 7.5 × 14.5 cm

The Di-Faced Tenner is one of Banksy's most audacious and conceptually precise works — a counterfeit ten-pound note distributed at the 2004 Notting Hill Carnival, some of which were successfully tendered as currency. Princess Diana replaces Queen Elizabeth II; "Trust No One" replaces the Bank of England's promise; the issuing authority becomes the "Banksy of England."

The note as artistic medium has a long history — from the Dadaist currency of the early twentieth century to Andy Warhol's dollar bill paintings — but Banksy's version operates with a directness and specificity that its predecessors lack. This is not a comment on money in the abstract; it is a specific intervention in the specific economy of a specific moment, using the most widely circulated object in British society as its vehicle.

Pest Control Certificate of Authenticity included. Available through Creed Gallery, Ascot, for collectors across Berkshire, Surrey, and London.

Offset lithograph on paper
7.5 × 14.5 cm
Distributed at Notting Hill Carnival, 2004
Pest Control Certificate of Authenticity