More About Banksy’s ‘Dumbo’

The original video was called ‘Rebel Rocket Attack’ and was launched on Banksy’s own website, with Banksy announcing alongside it that no new art would follow that day after the emergence of such a shocking video. Despite the fictional elephant and the artistic style of the Islamist characters around the elephant in this print, the piece depicts very real emotions and holds a number of underlying themes and meanings which make it such a popular and rarely sold original print.

The Story Behind ‘Dumbo’

If you watch the entire original video through, you will see that it is three-dimensional Islamic footage of soldiers shooting a rocket into the sky, before celebrating when the rocket reaches its target. As the object falls from the sky, the screen cuts to black before honing back in on Dumbo, dazed and sad looking on the ground, surrounded by the very real, very happy soldiers. The video then shows a child kicking one of the older extremists, indicating that the child is the only one who has understood the significance and horror of this attack.

The piece, now a print that has been in circulation since 2014, can symbolise a number of things. Firstly, if Dumbo represents innocence, then the war has well and truly destroyed and put a target on innocence at its core essence. There are also arguments out there that claim the fictional elephant represents American planes, as Dumbo is an American media creation. Finally, it seems that with the statement he released alongside the video, Banksy is arguing just how easy it is for propaganda to spill into the real world, and how quickly the truth and reality can become blurred with fictional endings.

After all, if Banksy was able to manufacture a video like this in the name of art, who knows what real war criminals and politicians are creating to tell their own version of the story.

The History of this Piece

This original print was released in 2014, as part of a collection of 10 signed and 15 unsigned prints. Due to this very limited collection size, Banksy’s ‘Dumbo’ is one of the rarest pieces in his anti-war collection making it highly coveted by Banksy buyers.

Sell your Banksy ‘Dumbo’

If you are looking to sell your Banksy ‘Dumbo’, getting a fair and accurate valuation from a reputable company is crucial in ensuring that you receive a fair price. With such a small number of original prints out there and the bold and clear link between the reality of war and the fictitious Disney character, this is a highly sought after piece.