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Morons, 2006-2007

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Morons (White), 2006

Edition: 150 signed, 500 unsigned

Showing an auctioneer conducting a sale to a room packed with bidders, Morons is based on the historical moment when Van Gogh’s Sunflowers achieved a hammer price of GBP 22.5 million at Christie’s on 30 March 1987, setting the record price for any work of art at auction.
 
This moment marked the beginning of changes in the art market, with the emergence of mega lots achieving record prices. In the present work, the large canvas being auctioned humorously bears the words, in block capitals
 
‘I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU MORONS ACTUALLY BUY THIS SHIT’.
Morons (Sepia), 2007
Edition: 300 signed
Banksy mocks the crowd, representing art collectors in general, who are ready to bid huge sums of money in order to acquire artworks. Some even doing so just to speculate and resell at higher prices, transforming the art market almost like a commodity trading market.
Ironically, Banksy is now one also the subject of intense bidding from art collectors willing to purchase his works for very high prices.
 Morons (LA Edition), 2006
Edition: 150 signed, 500 unsigned (only 100 were printed)
Obviously, Banksy’s relationship with the art market is complicated and nuanced, just like his relationship with law enforcement, which is precisely why he is so successful. The artist has expressed similarly critical opinions of the art world’s commercialism through public pranks such as the famous stunt he pulled in 2008 at Sotheby’s auction of Girl with Balloon. Immediately after the hammer struck down at a record price, a shredder that Banksy built into the frame itself was triggered, causing the art to immediately begin being shredded to the shock and horror of the art world. The painting has since been renamed Love is in the Bin and has unquestionably increased substantially in value after it got partially shredded publicly. The irony never ends with Banksy.
Morons (VIP Grey AP), 2007

Edition: 30 signed AP

RELEASE HISTORY

Morons is one of six prints belonging to the Barely Legal Print Set, which also includes Grannies, Trolleys, Applause, Sale Ends and Festival. Morons was originally released at Barely Legal as an edition of 100 unsigned prints, printed by Modern Multiples, that sold for $500 a piece.
In 2007, Banksy’s UK-based printer Pictures of Walls re-released different versions of the Morons print: 300 signed prints on a sepia background, as well as black and white editions of 500 unsigned and 150 signed prints.
Morons original, exhibited at Barely Legal, Los Angeles, 2006
The LA Edition of Morons differs from the later version released by Pictures on Walls, principally because of the gold frame… however it also misses the green numbers in front of the auctioneer that are found on the POW version. POW only released the remaining 400 prints unsigned prints. Morons (LA Edition) is numbered /500.

DESCRIPTION

Morons

Year: 2006
Medium: Screen-print in colors on Arches wove paper
Size: 56×76 cm (22×30 inches)
Publisher: Pictures on Walls

Editions

Morons: 150 signed, 500 unsigned
Morons (Sepia): 300 signed
LA Edition: 150 signed, 100 unsigned, 6 signed Printer’s Proofs (PP)
VIP Edition: 30 Grey signed AP

 

AUCTION RESULTS

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

BANKSY VALUE: Barely Legal Prints

 

Phillips London: 23 January 2025
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 24,130 / USD 29,810

BANKSY
Morons (unsigned), 2006
Screenprint in colors on Arches 88 paper
Numbered 445/500 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp

Morons (unsigned) sold 4 times at auction in 2024 at an average price of GBP 20,273 (USD 26,036). It sold at Sotheby’s in New-York on 22 October 2024 for its highest price of 2024 of USD 33,600 (GBP 26,250).

Tate Ward Auctions: 11 December 2024
Estimated: GBP 10,000 – 15,000
GBP 15,000 / USD 19,500

BANKSY (British 1974-)
Morons (unsigned), 2006
Screenprint in colors on Arches paper
Numbered 44/500 in pencil

otheby’s New-York: 28 February 2025
Estimated: USD 40,000 – 60,000
USD 38,100

BANKSY (b. 1974)
Morons (signed), 2007
Screenprint in colors on Arches 88 wove paper
Signed in pencil and dated 07 (lower right)
Numbered 97/150 (lower left) with the publisher’s blindstamp

Morons (signed) sold once at auction in 2024, at Sotheby’s online, on 26 September 2024, for GBP 33,600 (USD 44,722).

Sotheby’s online: 26 September 2024
Estimated: GBP 25,000 – 35,000
GBP 33,600 / USD 44,722

BANKSY (b.1974)
Morons (signed), 2006
Screenprint in colors on Arches wove paper
Signed in pencil and numbered 55/150 with the publisher’s blindstamp

Morons (LA Edition) sold once in 2024, and twice at auction in 2023.

Christie’s online: 1 April 2025
Estimated: GBP 12,000 – 18,000
GBP 20,160 / USD 26,047

BANKSY
Morons (LA Edition) (unsigned), 2007
Screenprint in colors on Arches wove paper
Numbered 105/500 in pencil (there was also a signed edition of 150)

LA Modern: 10 October 2024
Estimated: USD 15,000 – 20,000
USD 20,160

BANKSY (b.1975)
Morons (LA Edition) (unsigned), 2006
Screenprint in colors on Arches 88
Numbered to lower edge ‘111/500’ with the publisher’s blindstamp

Morons (Sepia) sold 3 times at auction in 2024, at Christie’s online on 26 March 2024 for GBP 56,700 (USD 71,909), at Bonhams in Los Angeles on 26 March 2024 for USD 35,840, and at Sotheby’s online on 26 September 2024 for GBP 36,000 (USD 47,916).

Sotheby’s online: 26 September 2024
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 36,000 / USD 47,916

BANKSY (b. 1974)
Morons (Sepia), 2007
Screenprint in colors on Somerset wove paper
Signed in pencil, dated and numbered 86/300, with the publisher’s blindstamp

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