Banksy (b. 1973) Di-Faced Tenner, 2004

Offset lithograph on paper

Unsigned and unnumbered as issued

Size: 5 3/4 × 3 in. (12.7 × 7.6 cm)

Accompanied by a hand-signed letter of provenance from Steve Lazarides

Provenance

Lazinc Gallery, London.

Private Collection, U.K.Description:

The present work is at once a pun, a satirical look at contemporary commercialism, and social

commentary on the media – all elements consistent with Banksy’s body of work. A witty play on the

term ‘defaced tenner’, the ‘Di-faced Tenner’ bears the visage of Princess Diana, also known as Lady Di.

The total edition size of the Di-Faced Tenners is 100,000, meaning there was £1 million in total in fake

currency that was produced.

The artworks were released to the public in 2004 through a series of public stunts. A suitcase full of

these fake bank notes were dropped in the London Tube, another load was thrown into crowds at the

Notting Hill Carnival, and more were handed out to festival-goers at Reading Festival. It has been said

that due to their close likeness to official ten-pound notes, many recipients did not realise that they

were works of art and attempted to spend them as regular currency. The final release of Di-Faced

Tenners took place during an exhibition of Banksy’s work at Steve Lazarides’ gallery, Lazinc. Lazarides

worked closely with Banksy after being commissioned to photograph the artist in 1997. In 2001, Banksy

and Lazarides established the Pictures on Walls website to promote and print limited editions by street

artists, and the duo worked together closely until 2008.

While presenting as a playful image, the deeper meaning behind the Di-Faced Tenner comments on the

media’s obsession with Princess Diana and how this subsequently contributed to her death in 1997.

Her position on the bank note is usually occupied by Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait, alluding to Diana’s

reception as the ‘Princess of the People’ and her perceived mistreatment within the Royal Family during

and after her marriage to Prince Charles. Directly referencing her untimely death, beneath Diana’s

image is the statement, “I promise to pay the bearer on demand the ultimate price.” Keen-eyed viewers

will also notice that instead of “Bank of England”, the Di-Faced Tenners are from the “Banksy of

England”. The reverse of the image has also been altered from a typical ten-pound note. Where Charles

Darwin’s signature would usually be is instead the works “Trust no one” (see below).

The Di-Faced Tenner is significant within Banksy’s body of work because it was the first artwork by the

artist to enter a museum collection. An edition can today be found within the British Museum’s Coins

and Medals collection, which also includes official, discontinued, and counterfeit bank notes. The Di-

Faced Tenner belongs within the sub-category of ‘skit notes’, which is defined as objects resembling

bank notes that also convey a satirical or political theme. Tom Hockenhull, a curator of modern money

at the British Museum said of this work: “There is a long history of political and social discourse through

this type of protest which made us keen to acquire it…Also, it’s a Banksy – why wouldn’t we want it?

It’s an opportunity for us to have a work by an artist of that stature as part of a collection that people

might not consider the typical repository for a work by Banksy.”1