BANKSY
Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be In Charge, circa 2002
Acrylic and spraypaint stencil on cast plaster on board in artist’s frame
61 x 50.7cm (24×20 inches)
Stenciled with the artist’s signature on the reverse
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 2002
Auction History
Sotheby’s London: 20 October 2008
Estimated: GBP 60,000 – 80,000
GBP 97,250 / USD 167,530
Laugh Now But One Day We’ll Be In Charge encapsulates the sharp wit and keenly satirical character of Banksy’s work. Deceptively simple, the work communicates a powerful message in its stark economy. Although his shoulders slope under the burden of the sandwich board, his set jaw and subtly clenched fists indicate a spirit of defiant resistance in the face of his oppression, signaling an ominous warning of what is to come. Advocating for the oppressed and disenfranchised within the socio-economic contexts of late capitalism, Banksy’s work cleverly juxtaposes epigram and image as a way of challenging the status quo and the concentration of power in the hands of the few. Like the rat, another recurring character from Banksy’s bestiary, the monkey is employed by the artist as a way of darkly addressing social issues, drawing on the animal’s metaphoric relationship to humans to comment on issues of inequality, political resistance, and protest that underpins the street artist’s entire project.
