Banksy Kissing Coppers

Banksy – Kissing Coppers

Kissing coppers was first installed in several locations in 2004. Whilst the most notable and long lasting instance was on the side of the Prince Albert pub in Brighton there were two other short lived versions in London. These were in Ladbroke Grove and Soho and were quickly removed.

Banksy Kissing Coppers street art in Ladbroke Grove, West London

The Ladbroke Grove instance of Kissing Coppers was near the junction of Ladbroke Grove and Kensal Road and lasted just a few days. It was painted using a multi-layer stencil using black and white spray paint and uses the natural colour of the chosen surface wall to provide the flesh colour of the Police officers.

Banksy Kissing Coppers street art in Soho, Central London

A similar version in Soho suffered the fate of someone trying to scrub off the faces before the entire stencil was ultimately completely removed. The same location was used by fellow street artist Paul Insect years later for another stencil piece.

Banksy Kissing Coppers, Brighton

A third version was painted on the side of the Prince Albert pub in Brighton.

Banksy – Kissing Coppers Canvas

In early 2022 a unique version of Kissing Coppers from 2005 owned by pop star Robbie Williams was put up for auction by Sotheby’s. It was 121cm by 90cm and featured a tight crop of the embracing couple. It was executed in spray paint and emulsion on a tagged canvas and had an auction estimate of between £2.5m and and £3.5m. I t was withdrawn from sale on the day of the auction leading to speculation that it had been sold directly to a private buyer.