Banksy’s iconic Union Jack stab-proof vest – made famous by Stormzy – is going on display in London

Stormzy made history when he headlined Glastonbury in 2019 wearing a stab proof vest with a Union Jack painted across it, designed by Banksy. At the time Banksy made five vests as part of a collection, and now one of them, almost identical to the one worn by Stormzy, is going on display in London. 

Banksy’s ‘Vest’, a bulletproof vest painted with a Union Jack, infused with a rusty red hue, will be shown at Sotheby’s before being auctioned off on October 9 as part of Frieze Week. The instantly recognisable item is expected to go for £200,000-300,000, but not before you can get a peek at it for yourself. It will go on public view at Sotheby’s New Bond Street Galleries for one week from October 3-9.

‘Vest’ belongs to Banksy's Gross Domestic Product homewares line, which was first displayed in a pop-up shop by the artist in Croydon in 2019. Stormzy donned a similar design in his headline Glastonbury show as a comment on knife crime in the capital. 

At the time, Stormzy said: ‘Last night I headlined Glastonbury in a stab-proof vest custom made by the greatest, most iconic living artist on planet earth, the one and only Banksy.’

Emma Baker, head of contemporary evening sale at Sotheby’s said: ‘Given an iconic stature by Stormzy during his legendary Glastonbury performance, this reinterpretation of a classic piece of modern day police-issue armour is Banksy at his best. In a way only Banksy can, he manages to powerfully condense a complex social issue through one redolent object. 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.’ 

Want more art in London? These are the best exhibitions on right now, hand-picked by our art editor.

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