Queen as Ziggy Stardust

Queen Elizabeth II gets a rock and roll makeover in this striking piece, her regal portrait crossed by the red and blue lightning bolt that David Bowie made famous as his Ziggy Stardust alter ego. Banksy, the mysterious British street artist whose identity remains a secret, sprayed this stencil onto a Bristol wall in 2012 to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, celebrating her sixty years on the throne. The image pulls together two giants of British culture, the monarch and the glam rock legend, into one wonderfully unexpected mashup. Anyone familiar with Bowie's 1973 album cover will spot the reference right away.

The joke here works because of the collision between two very different worlds. Elizabeth represents crown, custom, and keeping things proper, while Bowie stood for wild reinvention and tearing up the rulebook. Sticking them together gives you a grin and a little shock at the same time, which is exactly the kind of mischief Banksy is known for. True to his style, the work turned up out of nowhere and soon had everyone talking, showing that a bit of paint and a clever idea on a bare wall can tap right into a country's sense of fun.