In last year’s show, Banksy made a personal record for any auction dedicated to him.
Christie’s will once again highlight controversial Banksy in an auction, which is presented in a brand new format.
READ ALSO: Let’s Get Physical: Art Fair Philippines Goes Hybrid And With Its First In-Person Show Since 2020
Titled “Laugh now but one day we’ll be in charge: Banksy and 21st Century Editions” and featuring 72 lots, the online sale is open for bidding from March 1 to 15. This new auction is, of course, cheekily titled in reference to Banksy’s Laugh Now screenprint.
According to Christie’s, last year’s show, Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t, achieved the record total for any auction dedicated to the artist’s works, achieving £4.46 million ($6.1 million).
The sale will predominantly feature works by Banksy, alongside editions created in the 21st century by both well-known and up and coming contemporary artists.
Banksy’s “Morons (Sepia)—Outside of the edition” (2007, estimate £50,000 to 70,000) is part of this offering. The source image of this work is a photograph of the record-breaking sale of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers at Christie’s in 1987, with van Gogh’s canvas replaced by Banksy’s text.Interestingly, this particular impression has extra areas of color that are not often seen.
Another highlight by Banksy is “Choose your Weapon (VIP Gold)” (2010, estimate: £200,000 to 300,000), which will mark the first time a gold colorway of this work has come up at auction. The event is led by the artist’s most famous image “Girl with Balloon” (2004, estimate: £300,000 to 500,000).
There are editions included from the street artist Stik, among them “Lovers (Yellow)” (2011, estimate: £20,000 to 30,000) which typically has a blue background, however this is one of four in yellow and the first time one of this colour is coming up at auction. Stik’s Beggar (2009, estimate: £15,000 to 25,000) is one of an edition of 25 spray painted woodcuts, that were originally dropped around the streets of London as part of an effort to bring attention to rough sleeping and homelessness. This edition was gifted directly to someone who helped Stik with the distribution of these works. \
There are also two different colorways of editions by Yayoi Kusama: “Pumpkin 2000 (red)” (2000, estimate: £20,000 to 30,000) and “Pumpkin 2000 (Yellow)” (2000, estimate: £15,000 to 25,000), the first time the yellow edition has come up for auction at Christie’s.
Highlights from up and coming artists include, Jon Key’s figurative work, “The Man in the Violet Suit (Red No.1) (2021)”(2021, estimate: £3,000 to 5,000) and Tunji Adeniyi-Jones vibrantly “Pattern Makers” (2020, estimate: £2,000 to 3,000).
Laugh now but one day we’ll be in charge: Banksy and 21st Century Editions runs until March 15, 2022. For more information or to bid, visit Christies.com.
Banner: “Laugh Now,” by Banksy
