BANKSY, BEST PRINT AND WHY, by Howard Johnson on Sept 20, 2018 18:51:45 GMT 1, I'll play devils advocate and personally recommend recommend any of prints beginning with the LA set moving forward. (Kate Moss technically fits within the contours of my opinion, but I think that one is highly overrated and the Warhol homage was done way better with the soup cans and Shep's "Marilyn Warhol.")

Beginning with the LA Set, printed by local master Richard Duarto, Banksy's prints took a massive leap forward in terms of quality. The early prints, while iconic, and simply too rudimentary and utilize far lower quality materials then the later prints. Most are simple silkscreens (often one or two colors) printed on (comparatively) low grade recycled paper (Radar rat is the massive exception for both ingenuity and execution).

The quality of these early prints, IMHO, do not justify the price points they command. Sure, barcode may be iconic, but when placed side-by-side with a work like Nola or Choose Your Weapon, the difference in pure quality is massive. The whole, "early prints are better because they more accurately reflect the do-it-yourself approach we all love about Banksy," was valid until these prints started costing tens of thousands of dollars. If I had that kind of money, I would not spend it on a poorly produced print, no matter how iconic. Once again, thats just me.

As for my personal favorite, I like the image and ambition of "Flags." The uniquely American image (although appropriated an arguably superior photograph) is unlike most of his other of his prints in terms of the complexity of the image. I've been lucky enough to own one for quite some time, and found myself constantly revisiting the image with different interpretations as I grew older.

Alas, this edition was ultimately a MISSED opportunity. The metallic paper idea was fantastic in theory, but the choice in stock was atrocious as most print owners can attest to. Those damn prints creased and got scratched at the smallest brush with any other surface. In addition, the deep black of the image makes any damage glaringly noticeable, which is why I sold mine and I often by damaged prints because its never bothered me before, and the delicate nature of the materials makes restoration impossible.

However the ambition of this edition still makes it my favorite of the Banksy prints. I may not ever buy another one, but I will continue to respect artists who swing for the fences with editions rather than churn out the standard serigraphs/lithographs on paper that we've been bombarded with since the pop movement.

EDIT: Just realized I wrote about this opinion a couple years back in this exact same thread. Sorry for the redundancy.