Kate Moss was created by Banksy in 2005. This special work was a surprise for the model and was showcased in her bathroom, which she was redesigning at the time. She is a big fan of his work and has been described as one of the most recognizable faces of her time. Kate Moss is known for her wild child appearance and her rebellious personality, which might be the reason why Banksy portrayed her. Even though people assume the portrait was inspired by Andy Warhol, it has a different message than his artwork. Back in Warhol’s days, Marilyn Monroe was the most iconic person and the most desirable woman of her century. Kate Moss took her place as the most fascinating personality. This shows the volatility of the times and how easy it is to vanish from the picture.

Some of Banksy’s works are often linked to Andy Warhol: where Warhol painted Marilyn Monroe, Banksy painted Kate Moss; where Warhol painted Campbell’s soup, Banksy painted Tesco’s soup. But in many ways, they are complete opposites. Warhol bought his first house from the proceeds of his commercial work, mainly shoe ads, but also ads for just about any other kind of women’s accessories. Warhol was desperate for gallery space; Banksy usually avoids it. Warhol loved fame and celebrities; Banksy can’t stand them. Warhol, famously, would attend every fashionable event he could find but Banksy won’t even attend his own openings. Warhol believed that in the future everybody would be famous for fifteen minutes, Banksy believes that Warhol got it wrong: in the future so many people are going to become famous that one day everybody will end up being anonymous for fifteen minutes.

This piece was produced as promotional material for Banksy's exhibition Barely Legal exhibition that took place in Los Angeles in 2006.