Banksy - Contemporary Art Part I New York Thursday, May 13, 2010 | Phillips

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  • Provenance


    Private Collection, Los Angeles

  • Exhibited


    New York, The Vs. Project: Banksy vs. T5S, May 21, 2003 – July 15, 2003; London, Andipa Gallery, Banksy, April 23, 2009 – May 16, 2009

  • Catalogue Essay

    Grafitti artist Banksy’s works have cropped up on streets and walls around the world since the 1980s. Secretive and elusive about his identity, the artist has grown from cult figure into an internationally renowned contemporary artist. Politically engaging and inherently challenging of authority, Banksy’s spray painted stencil images are nevertheless light-hearted and grounded in wit. Utilizing materials such as canvas and panel in addition to his outdoor murals and street graffiti, the artist delights in producing works that are innately confrontational and often impermanent. The present lot speaks to this tradition, confronting the questionable purity of religion with dual Madonnas back-to-back, each feeding her child from a poisoned bottle. Their lower halves, visually composed from dripping paint, are obstructed by ominous bomber planes flying beneath them. The work is a dynamic reminder of human fragility and an iconic example of Banksy’s oeuvre.

  • Artist Biography

    Banksy

    British • 1975 - N/A

    Anonymous street artist Banksy first turned to graffiti as a miserable fourteen year old disillusioned with school. Inspired by the thriving graffiti community in his home city, Bristol, Banksy's works began appearing on trains and walls in 1993, and by 2001 his blocky, spray-painted works had cropped up all over the United Kingdom. Typically crafting his images with spray paint and cardboard stencils, Banksy is able to achieve a meticulous level of detail. His aesthetic is clean and instantly readable due to his knack for reducing complex political and social statements to simple visual elements.

    His graffiti, paintings and screenprints use whimsy and humour to satirically critique war, capitalism, hypocrisy and greed — with not even the Royal family safe from his anti-establishment wit.

    View More Works

145

Untitled (Toxic Marys)

2003

Spray paint on panel in two parts.

74 x 70 3/4 in. (188 x 180 cm) overall.
This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Pest Control.

Estimate
$150,000 - 250,000 

Contemporary Art Part I

13 May 2010
New York