What gives ART808 the confidence to certify and sell Banksy’s work?

ART808 was established in 2021 by print and publishing consultant Jon Lewis, who collaborated in the early days with POW (Pictures on Walls), the legendary print house that shook the art world and helped to launch the stellar careers of Banksy, Invader, Conor Harrington, Paul Insect, Antony Micallef, Stanley Donwood and Lee Eelus. Jon’s contributions included producing Banksy’s first three books: Existentialism, Cut It Out, and Banging Your Head Against A Brick Wall, as well as Banksy’s now iconic Tesco Petrol Bomb print and Soup Can lithograph. Jon also managed the production of postcard packs for Banksy’s Crude Oils exhibition, the Cans Festival brochures, Gee Vaucher’s Oh America print, Kennard Phillipps Blair Photo Op print, and Jamie Hewlett’s Gorillaz stained glass printed panels.

ART808 can confidently provide a COA with every sale of a Banksy artwork or collectable because we only sell prints and collectables that we know are 100% legitimate. In many cases, Jon helped to produce the item for sale and knows the exact specifications and still holds the original proofs and press pass sheets, or the artwork already has an official COA document that can be cross-checked and confirmed by Pest Control prior to a sale.

The certificate of authenticity, or COA as it is commonly known, is an important document that substantiates the authenticity of an artwork. Buyers will often only consider buying high-priced artwork with a COA. It is also important for lower-priced art to come with a COA as, if you are lucky enough to purchase an artist's work before their career takes off, it pays to have all the paperwork in place if and when you wish to sell.