“If you want to survive as a graffiti writer when you go indoors your only option is to carry on painting over things that don’t belong to you.” BANKSY FROM WALL AND PIECE

Admired all over the world for his politically charged, subversive and humorous art, the pseudonymous Banksy has become one of the most famous artists of our time, in spite of no one knowing his true identity. Predominantly a street artist, Banksy initially used this platform to challenge authority and question society whilst reaching out to a wide audience of devoted fans. His works are as witty as they are pensive; each piece is an opportunity to encourage the viewer to think and reevaluate modern culture. As a result of his popularity, Banksy is now a renowned and recognized artist and playfully pokes fun at the art world from within with his pieces and shows. Whether it’s a wall of a London building or a famous painting, the elusive artist modifies the world around him, instills his important messages in his works and, as a result, achieves beautification with vandalism.

The present lot shows Banksy’s lighthearted attitude as he attaches googly eyes to one of the most famous paintings in art history. Banksy recreates Rembrandt’s well known Self Portrait at the Age of 63 (1669) and covers the expressive eyes, perhaps what Rembrandt’s portraits are best known for, with googly eyes. This simple act undermines the painting itself and encourages the viewer to question the nature of art, creating a piece that is not only witty but visually very amusing. Poignantly, in this case Banksy has altered a work in a similar fashion to his grafti on London’s buildings. However, this practical joke is not without forethought. His appropriation of Rembrandt’s nationally beloved self portrait invites the viewer to question why this act seems so audacious, why this painting is valued so highly and, foremost, what constitutes great art. As a street artist, Banksy is no stranger to graffiti being deemed ‘low art’ or even ‘vandalism’. Consequently, he aims to subvert what we consider ‘high art’ by taking a famous painting, catching the viewer’s interest with attention grabbing googly eyes and creating a piece that is entertaining, thought provoking and progressive.

Banksy’s work is brave, confrontational and unapologetic; he ignores the conventions of art and dares to make his own rules. The present lot is characteristic of his style and illustrates the artist’s masterful use of humour as a means of arousing further contemplation. Additionally, the work harks back to previous appropriations of masterpieces, such as Marcel Duchamp’s L.H.O.O.Q. which also mischievously used comedy to remark on the art world from within it. The elusive Banksy’s work is assertive and challenging whilst simultaneously playful and unabashed, always carrying his moralistic message. As he says, “I like to think I have the guts to stand up anonymously in a western democracy and call for things no-one else believes in - like peace and justice and freedom.”