A majority of Banksy’s works available on the market have been executed on canvas. The artist is at his best when combining his scathing, jet-black humor with a material that reflects the aesthetic of urban life and the authenticity of his intentions. Outside of the Think Tank series on metal panels commissioned by the pop band Blur, examples of his signature stencils on metal are incredibly rare and highly sought after.

Keep It Real from 2006 features one of Banksy’s most iconic and popular images, the chimpanzee appearing here in one of its many incarnations as the loveable underdog with a sandwich board, underestimated and yet subversive, with the power to illicit social transformation. This work was first shown in Banksy’s breakout show Barely Legal in Los Angeles in 2006, an exhibition that cemented his reputation both as a countercultural superstar but also as an artist celebrated by many of the world’s greatest collectors. This artwork formed part of a body of work that represents the artist at his most ambitious, most radical and most creative.