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Monkey Queen, 2003

BY

Monkey Queen, 2004
Edition: 750 (150 signed)

‘Celebrate the fact the highest position in British society is not a reward for talent or hard work, but simply handed out with the accident of birth. God Save The Queen.’


Monkey Queen portrays a monkey wearing all the ornamentation of a Queen in front of a background made of red, white, blue, a clear not to the colors of the Union Jack. Painted on the occasion of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to honor her 60 years on the throne, Monkey Queen superimposes the black and white stenciled face of a monkey directly onto Queen Elizabeth II’s iconic bust.

“Deride and Conquer”

Banksy, Banging Your Head Against a Brick Wall, November 2001
In another iconic work, Laugh Now, Banksy depicts a monkey wearing a sandwich board that predicts, one day, society will run by our primate cousins – despite the fact that we humans are millions of years “ahead” of them from an evolutionary perspective. Perhaps, the artist suggests, we are not that much different and/or more sophisticated than they are. It’s a depressing outlook, and a damning statement about the state of affairs that we find ourselves in. This controversial, deliberately offensive imagery forces people to wrestle with how comfortable we truly are with the right to freedom of speech and expression, while simultaneously questioning the logic of having some of the world’s most powerful leaders born into the role.
Monkey Queen epitomizes Banksy’s artistic identity. The satirical image overtly criticizes the British leaders. Aligning the Queen with a primitive animal, the artist, in no uncertain terms, says that he believes the country is being run by apes. Along with the rat, the monkey is one of Banksy’s most frequently used animal characters. Satirizing the nature of humankind, Banksy uses these animals as didactic figures in his critical social commentary. The most expensive work of Banksy sold at auction is no other than Devolved Parliament, a giant painting depicting the British Parliament run by monkeys… From Laugh Now, to Keep It Real, or Monkey Detonator, monkeys are also a way for Banksy to express his own frustrations with human-kind.
Monkey Queen, 2003
Oil and emulsion on canvas, 92×92 cm
The use of monkeys is nothing new in the context of art history. In a contemporary take on ”Singerie”, a visual arts genre popular among French artists in the early 18th century which depicted comical scenes of monkeys aping human behavior, Banksy’s chimps too, are often presented in ironic juxtapositions that provide a tongue-in-cheek satirizing of society which so often thinks of itself as “above” the animal kingdom.
Monkey Queen was released at a price of GBP 150 for a signed version and GBP 59.99 for an unsigned version.

DESCRIPTION

Monkey Queen

Year: 2003
Medium: Screen-print in colors on wove paper
Size: 50×35 cm (19 1/2 x 13 5/8 inches)
Publisher: Pictures on Walls

Editions

Total Edition: 750 (of which 150 signed)

Signature and Numbering

Numbered /750 in pencil, either lower right, or lower left
Signed in black ink or pencil, either left or right

Some with, others without publisher’s blindstamp

AUCTION RESULTS

FOR A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF AUCTION RESULTS
PLEASE CHECK BANKSY VALUE: EARLY PRINTS
YOU WILL ONLY FIND THE MOST RECENT AUCTION RESULTS BELOW

BANKSY VALUE: Early Prints (2002-2003)

 

Monkey Queen (unsigned) sold once at auction so far in 2025.

Christie’s online: 1 April 2025
Estimated: GBP 8,000 – 12,000
GBP 10,710 / USD 13,837

BANKSY
Monkey Queen (unsigned), 2003
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Numbered 191/750 in pencil (only the first 150 were signed)

Monkey Queen (unsigned) sold 3 times at auction in 2024, at an average price of GBP 12,737 (USD 16,471). It sold for its highest price of USD 24,000 for 2024, at Sotheby’s in New-York, on 22 October 2024.

Sotheby’s New-York: 22 October 2024
Estimated: USD 8,000 – 12,000
USD 24,000

BANKSY (b. 1974)
Monkey Queen (unsigned), 2003
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Numbered in pencil 490/750

Monkey Queen (signed) sold twice at auction in 2024, at Phillips in London, on 1 May 2024 for GBP 17,280 (USD 21,600), and at Sotheby’s in London, on 26 January 2024 for GBP 21,590 (USD 27,457).

Sotheby’s London: 26 January 2024
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 21,590 / USD 27,457

BANKSY (b. 1974)
Monkey Queen (signed), 2003
Screenprint in colors on wove paper
Signed in black ink and numbered 66/750

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