Radar Rat
Medium: Screenprint with spray-paint on wove paper
Year: 2004
Sheet: 36×36 cm (14 1/4 x 14 1/4 inches)
Editions: 25 unsigned, 75 signed
Some in Orange, some in Red
All signed, and hand-finished by the artist
Radar Rat, also known as Sonic Rat, is one of the most coveted works by Banksy due to its small edition size and because each print is signed and hand-finished by the artist himself, some in orange. Radar Rat is shown standing on its hind legs, wearing headphones and holding a tape recorder in one hand and a sonic radar in the other. Behind him is a hand-painted red spiral. He appears to be listening intently to the world around him, in what seems to be a comment on the ever-increasing presence of surveillance equipment in cities such as London.
Radar Rat, 2002
Sotheby’s New-York: 13 May 2021
Estimated: USD 100,000 – 150,000
USD 352,800
BANKSY (b. 1974)
Radar Rat, 2002
Spraypaint on cardboard
50.2 x 53.3 cm (19 3/4 x 14 3/4 inches)
Executed in 2002, this work is unique
Radar Rat is one of the mysterious street artist’s most prolific subjects. There is of course irony and satire embedded in Banksy’s depictions of the rat: the animal is emblematic of the urban landscape, and often met with disgust and fear. Here, however, Banksy shows the small creature from the streets as intelligent and discerning. First appearing in 2002, Banksy has since produced many variations of Radar Rat, from urban graffiti to paintings on canvas to bronze sculptures. The rat appears often in Banksy’s work, sometimes holding signs that read messages such as “Get Out While You Can” and “Welcome to Hell”; other times, painting a dripping red heart. The present lot is a unique iteration of Radar Rat, a singular format of the animal that ironically appears throughout his work. Radar Rat holds a tape recorder in one hand and a sonic radar in the other; he’s wearing headphones and looks past the viewer, over their left shoulder, intently. A master of surprising juxtapositions, Banksy’s satirical oeuvre has fueled his reception as a cultural phenomenon, with reach extending far beyond the art world alone. Radar Rat is an iconic image that utterly encapsulates Banksy’s mission, rife with parody and critique.
Radar Rat can also be seen on a few walls in the streets of London, including King’s Road, and a few Banksy originals, as well as on the cover of Dirty Funker’s Future album in 2008.
Auction Results
1. Radar Rat (signed)
Tate Ward Auctions: 25 June 2025
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 65,000 / USD 88,855
BANKSY (British 1974-)
‘Radar Rat’, 2004
Screenprint with hand-sprayed red spray paint on wove paper
Signed, dated and numbered from an edition of 50 in pencil
Sotheby’s London: 26 April 2022
Estimated: GBP 60,000 – 80,000
GBP 163,800 / USD 208,650
BANKSY (b. 1974)
Radar Rat (signed), 2004
Screenprint with red spray paint on wove paper
Signed in pencil, dated, numbered 46/75, with the publisher’s blindstamp
Sotheby’s London: 19 September 2012
Estimated: GBP 5,000 – 7,000
GBP 15,000 / USD 24,320
BANKSY
Radar Rat, 2004
Screenprint with spraypaint on wove paper
Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 3/75
Bonhams London: 24 February 2009
No Estimates Provided
GBP 7,440 / USD 10,770
BANKSY (British, born 1975)
Radar Rat, 2004
Stencil spray paint and screenprint
Signed and numbered in pencil ’24/75′ with the publisher’s blindstamp
2. Radar Rat (unsigned)
Forum Auctions: 13 July 2021
Estimated: GBP 90,000 – 120,000
GBP 110,000 (Hammer)
GBP 144,500 / USD 199,880
BANKSY (b.1974)
Radar Rat (hand sprayed), 2004
Screenprint in black on wove paper
Uniquely sprayed with red aerosol paint
Numbered from the edition of 25 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp
Forum Auctions: 6 July 2017
Estimated: GBP 6,000 – 8,000
GBP 15,000 (Hammer)
GBP 18,750 / USD 24,255
BANKSY (b.1974)
Radar Rat (unsigned), 2004
Screenprint with spraypaint
Numbered from the edition of 25 in pencil
