CRUDE OILS

  • Banksy, Crude Oil Jerry, 2004.
    Banksy, Crude Oil Jerry, 2004.
    Oil and spray enamel on found canvas in artist’s frame. Stencilled-signed “BANKSY” lower right.
    © Banksy.
    Banksy approaches the landscape with little interest in preserving its tranquillity. In his hands, sweeping views and calm skies become backdrops for cartoonish figures, looming CCTV cameras and scattered city rubble. These interruptions are deliberate, pulling the viewer from the safety of pastoral nostalgia into the tensions of contemporary life. By embedding symbols of surveillance, decay and urban disruption into traditional scenes, Banksy reframes the landscape as a site of social and political critique, where beauty and unease share the same frame.
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  • ORIGINS OF THE MOTIF
  • "The greatest crimes in the world are not committed by people breaking the rules but by people following the rules."
    - Banksy, Wall & Piece
    Banksy’s habit of reworking traditional landscapes can be traced back to his 2005 London exhibition Crude Oils. Described as “a gallery of re-mixed masterpieces, vandalism and vermin,” the show featured 22 oil paintings, many of them second-hand artworks altered with his trademark wit. Pastoral scenes were disrupted with modern intrusions such as shopping trolleys floating in Monet’s waterlily ponds, police tape stretching across serene countryside views, and pollution clouding peaceful skies. This approach merged the familiar comfort of classical art with the jolt of contemporary political commentary, creating works that were both visually disarming and conceptually sharp.
    • Banksy’s 2000 Corrupted Oil reworks classic painting with subversive graffiti, blending fine art and street style.

      Corrupted Oil, 2000

      © Banksy.
    • Banksy’s 2002 Bird and Grenade stencil contrasts peace and danger in a bold early street artwork.

      Bird and Grenade, 2002

      © Banksy.
    • Banksy’s 2004 Monkey Poison artwork depicts chimp with poison bottle, fusing wit and bold design.

      Monkey Poison, 2004

      © Banksy.
    • Banksy’s 2004 CCTV mural highlights surveillance culture with striking and clever street art imagery.

      CCTV, 2004

      © Banksy.
    • Banksy’s 2004 Oil Jerry reimagines cartoon character within fine art, part of his Crude Oils series.

      Oil Jerry, 2004

      © Banksy.
    • Banksy’s 2005 Show Me The Monet reworks Monet’s garden with shopping trolleys, iconic satirical masterpiece.

      Show Me The Monet, 2005

      © Banksy.

  • POLITICAL COMMENTARY

  • Banksy’s landscapes often act as platforms for political and environmental commentary, transforming a traditionally passive genre into a space for...
    Banksy, Show Me The Monet, 2005.
    Oil on canvas in artist’s frame, 143.1 × 143.4 cm.
    © Banksy.
    Banksy’s landscapes often act as platforms for political and environmental commentary, transforming a traditionally passive genre into a space for urgent debate. By introducing elements that speak to pollution, climate change and urban decay, these works highlight the tension between natural beauty and human interference. They question how political decisions, corporate interests and public complacency contribute to the degradation of the environment. In doing so, Banksy reframes the landscape as more than a depiction of scenery. It becomes a witness to the consequences of modern life and a reminder of the political will needed to protect it.
    • Banksy Girl With Baloon

      SIGNED EDITIONS

    • Banksy Show Me The Monet 2005

      ORIGINAL WORKS

    • Banksy's mural of a rhinoceros on a car

      STREET WORKS