Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Unamerican Graffiti”
Summary
A pop-art defacement of Queen Elizabeth II in which D*Face splices her famous head-and-shoulders portrait with a US dollar-bill engraving: the central face is rendered in dollar-green halftone (echoing a banknote vignette) with a screaming, lolling open mouth and tongue, topped by the Queen's curled hair, diadem, and a tilted American police cap, set against a banded rainbow background under the title "UNAMERICAN GRAFFITI." It is a characteristic example of D*Face's "deface the icon" practice, turning a symbol of state authority into a grotesque comic-strip mash-up of money, monarchy, and American power.
Why It Matters
The print compresses several of D*Face's recurring targets into one image: monarchy and inherited power (the Queen and her diadem), money and consumerism (the dollar-bill engraving and greenback palette), and American authority (the police cap, the punning title). By grafting a US banknote face onto Britain's most reproduced royal portrait and giving her a screaming mouth, D*Face collapses the line between national emblem and currency, a pointed comment on how power and value are manufactured and circulated. It sits within the broader 2000s street-art lineage of subverting establishment imagery, and its layered, immediately legible visual joke is the kind of high-impact statement that made D*Face one of the more recognizable British names to emerge alongside that scene.
Collector Perspective
With an edition of 48, this is one of D*Face's smaller screen-print runs, which puts it toward the scarcer end of his print output and limits how often examples surface on the secondary market. The subject matter works in its favor: royal-defacement and money-themed images are among the more sought-after threads in his catalog because the political punch is obvious and the composition reads well framed. As a 2009 work from his more active print-producing period, condition and the presence of a signature and numbering will drive value; clean, fully provenanced examples are the ones to hold out for. It is a collectible piece for a D*Face-focused buyer rather than an entry-level filler print, but it is not among his most famous marquee images, so expect interest to be steady rather than frenzied.
Historical Context
Created in 2009 during D*Face's Pop Provocation era, the work draws directly on two icons: the standardized royal portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the engraved-portrait convention of US paper currency, fused into a single defaced head. The title "Unamerican Graffiti" puns on the 1973 film "American Graffiti" while flagging the deliberate clash of British monarchy with American symbols of money and policing. The banded rainbow ground and bold halftone treatment are rooted in the comic-book and advertising visual language that D*Face repurposes throughout his practice, and the piece reflects the late-2000s moment when street artists were increasingly turning gallery-grade screen prints into vehicles for political satire.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
It shows Queen Elizabeth II reimagined as a defaced US dollar-bill portrait: her face is rendered in green banknote-style halftone with a screaming open mouth and tongue, crowned by her curled hair, diadem, and a tilted American police cap, against a banded rainbow background beneath the title "UNAMERICAN GRAFFITI."
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 48, making it one of D*Face's smaller and scarcer screen-print runs.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print, produced in 2009.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, so this example is most likely signed and numbered, though that should be confirmed against the specific sheet and any accompanying documentation.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for defacing comic-book, advertising, and celebrity imagery with motifs like the winged-eyed D*Dog and grinning skulls. He co-founded the StolenSpace gallery and satirizes consumerism, power, and fame.
Related Works
About the Artist
D*Face is the working name of Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a leading figure in British street art. He came up pasting stickers and posters across London in the early 2000s, then built a pop-fuelled visual language that defaces comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity iconography. Recurring motifs include his winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. His practice spans screenprints, hand-painted multiples, sculpture and large-scale murals worldwide, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London. His work satirises consumerism, power and our collective obsession with fame.
Collecting D*Face at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic D*Face prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of D*Face prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new D*Face prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across D*Face and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.