Banksy - Editions & Works on Paper New York Tuesday, October 24, 2023 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • Banksquiat (Grey), realized in 2019 as part of the artist’s Gross Domestic Product installation, derives its imagery from an original stenciled work that was unveiled in 2017 at the Barbican Centre in London. The appearance of this mural coincided with the opening of the Barbican’s Basquiat: Boom For Real exhibition – the first major retrospective in Britain dedicated to the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Positioned on the concrete facade of the Barbican, the original design for Banksquiat was accompanied by another Banksy mural, which detailed a pair of London Metropolitan Police officers frisking the two titular figures of Basquiat’s 1982 painting Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump. Both works were cleverly stenciled near a sign pointing towards the ‘Barbican Exhibition Halls’, encouraging viewers to question the complex politics at play in the encounter between the Barbican, the street, Basquiat, and Banksy.

     

    “Art should come in unconventional guises and be brought to those who might not ordinarily seek it out in more predictable settings”
    —André Heller

     

    At first glance, the deceptively simple design of Banksquiat (Grey) shrouds the heavily layered art historical references within the print. Depicting a Ferris wheel, Banksy’s composition visually recalls the installation created by Basquiat for Luna Luna. Held in Hamburg in 1987, Luna Luna was the world’s first contemporary art amusement park, which featured attractions created by renowned artists of the era, such as a carousel by Keith Haring, an immersive forest pavilion by David Hockney, and a Ferris wheel by Basquiat. Organized by André Heller, Luna Luna was born out of Heller’s belief that “art should come in unconventional guises and be brought to those who might not ordinarily seek it out in more predictable settings.” Heller’s ethos and the concept behind Luna Luna draws clear parallels with Banksy’s practice. In 2015, the British artist created Dismaland – a temporary art project involving over 50 creatives which sought to reinvent Disneyland with a sinister twist. Featuring remote-controlled migrant boats, a Punch and Judy show centered around domestic violence, and a monumental Ferris wheel, Banksy took inspiration from Luna Luna to bring his satirical graffiti to life in a setting that still operated outside the walls of museums and galleries.

     

    Banksy’s satirical criticisms of the art world continue in Banksquiat (Grey) through his appropriation of the late-American artist’s imagery. Adorned with Basquiat’s trademark crown motif, Banksy’s Ferris wheel symbolizes the endless cycle of capitalism. Presenting a commentary on the commodification and acceptance of artists – particularly black artists – in contemporary art, Banksy considers how celebrated works are increasingly reproduced to satisfy contemporary consumer culture. Encompassing a myriad of meanings, Basquiat used the three-point crown as a symbol through which he could convey important meditations on social and political issues. Infused with the context of the artist’s original mural, the Banksquiat (Grey) screenprint is a thought-provoking composition that pays homage to Basquiat as a forerunner of the contemporary street art movement and closely aligns Banksy’s practice with that of the pioneering American artist.

     

    • 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

138

Banksquiat (Black)

2019
Screenprint in colors, on black card, with full margins.
I. 24 1/2 x 23 1/2 in. (62.2 x 59.7 cm)
S. 29 1/2 x 27 5/8 in. (74.9 x 70.2 cm)

Signed and numbered 195/300 in white pencil, co-published by the artistand Gross Domestic Product (GDP), London (with the artist's blindstamp), with the accompanying Certificate of Authenticity issued by Pest Control, unframed.

Full Cataloguing

Estimate
$40,000 - 60,000 

Sold for $57,150

Contact Specialist

Editions@phillips.com
212 940 1220
 

Editions & Works on Paper

New York Auction 24-26 October 2023