UFO is part of Banksy’s Crude Oils series, in which he reworked classical paintings by adding disruptive, graffiti-like interventions. Here, the serene setting of a traditional landscape is interrupted by the sudden presence of an unidentified flying object, a tongue-in-cheek act of “vandalism” that destabilises the conventions of fine art.

Originally created for Banksy’s Barely Legal exhibition in Los Angeles in 2006, the work was later included in Banksy vs Bristol Museum in 2009, where it was displayed among other subversive re-imaginations of the canon. By inserting incongruous, even absurd imagery into established art forms, Banksy questions what qualifies as “art” and exposes the fragility of cultural authority.