‘Laugh Now, but one day we’ll be in charge’
Laugh Now portrays a forlorn monkey, wearing a sandwich board suggesting that he is oppressed or enslaved. Along with the rat, the monkey is one of Banksy’s most frequently used animal characters, to satirize the nature of humankind. Laugh Now could well be a criticism of the way humans have been treating animals, our primate cousins, whether poaching or capturing them for entertainment, or medical testing. The ominous text on the board is both mocking and threatening, suggesting that the character is preparing an uprising, as if Banksy is warning of an imminent revolution. It is also the artist’s humorous take on Darwin’s theory of evolution.
107.5 x 604.5 cm (42 3/8 x 237 7/8 inches)
Rivington Street, London, 2002
Banksy’s history as a street artist and his efforts to conceal his identity make his artistic figures his only interactive surrogates. Bearing this in mind, the monkeys upon the panel not only assume an anarchistic quality—promising full revenge upon their rise to power—but also make for a fascinating study into the future of street art. And, as his exhibition spaces shift from urban alleyways to galleries, Banksy paints a fascinating commentary on the current state of contemporary art.
Even though no mural remains with this iconic stencil, Banksy realized many originals on various media using the Laugh Now stencil. Those command high prices at auction.
Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be In Charge, 2000
Sotheby’s Hong-Kong: 18 June 2021
Estimated: HKD 6,200,000 – 9,300,000
HKD 17,720,000 / USD 2,280,000
BANKSY (b. 1974)
Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be In Charge, 2000
Acrylic and stencil spray-paint on canvas
61×61 cm (24×24 inches)
Stamped with the BANKSY tag
Christie’s London: 11 May 2021
GBP 1,460,000 / USD 2,070,000
Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be In Charge, 2002
76×102 cm (30 x 41 1/8 inches)
DESCRIPTION
Laugh Now
Editions
Artist’s Proofs: 69 signed AP
AUCTION RESULTS
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Laugh Now (unsigned) sold three times at auction in 2024, at an average price of GBP 21,353 (USD 27,242). It sold for its highest price of 2024, at Rosebery’s on 23 April 2024 for GBP 26,240 (USD 32,800).
Roseberys London: 23 April 2024
Estimated: GBP 12,000 – 15,000
GBP 26,240 / USD 32,800
BANKSY (b. 1974)
Laugh Now (unsigned), 2003
Screenprint in colors on paper
Numbered 493/600
Laugh Now (signed) sold three times at auction in 2024, at an average price of GBP 55,883 (USD 71,172). It sold at its highest price of GBP 60,000 in 2024 at Sotheby’s online, on 26 September 2024.
Sotheby’s online: 26 September 2024
Estimated: GBP 50,000 – 70,000
GBP 60,000 / USD 79,860
BANKSY (b. 1974)
Laugh Now (signed), 2003
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in black ink, dated and numbered in pencil 31/150
