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Morons, 2006-2007

BY

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

Updated as of 15 March 2023

 

1. Morons (Sepia)

 

 

Morons Sepia, 2007
Signed and dated in pencil
Numbered 220/300 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’ online: 17 August 2022
Estimated: GBP 40,000 – 60,000
GBP 100,800 / USD 120,960

Morons (Sepia), 2007
A print aside from the numbered edition of 300
Signed in pencil, lower right
Inscribed with an M in a circle, a peace sign, and a heart in pencil, lower left
Christie’s online: 15 March 2022
GBP 81,900 / USD 108,108
Morons (Sepia), 2007
Signed and dated in pencil within the image
Numbered 39/300 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s online: 17 September 2021
GBP 107,100 / USD 148,869
Morons (Sepia), 2007
Signed and dated in pencil within the image
Numbered 175/300 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s online: 18 March 2021

GBP 75,600 / USD 105,084

2. Morons (unsigned)


Sotheby’s London: 26 September 2023
Estimated: GBP 18,000 – 22,000
GBP 24,130 / USD 29,351

BANKSY (b. 1974)
Morons (unsigned), 2006
Screenprint in colors on Arches wove paper
Numbered in pencil 308/500

Sotheby’s online: 20 April 2023
Estimated: GBP 18,000 – 22,000
GBP 25,400 / USD 31,619

Morons (unsigned), 2006
Numbered 161/500 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left

———

Bonhams London: 19 April 2023
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 22,950 / USD 28,551

Morons (unsigned), 2006
Numbered 346/500 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left

Bonhams London: 7 December 2022
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 25,500 / USD 31,093

Morons (unsigned), 2006
Numbered 346/500 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left

Sotheby’s online: 17 August 2022
Estimated: GBP 18,000 – 22,000
GBP 30,240 / USD 36,288

Morons (unsigned), 2006
Numbered 393/500 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left

Morons (unsigned), 2006
Numbered 304/500 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s online: 17 September 2021
GBP 47,880 / USD 66,553

Morons (unsigned), 2006
Numbered 304/500 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s online, 17 September 2021
GBP 47,880 / USD 66,553
Morons (unsigned), 2006
Numbered 341/500 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Heritage Auctions: 20 April 2021

GBP 35,971 / USD 50,000

3. Morons (LA Edition)

 

 

Morons (LA Edition), 2006
Numbered 76/500 in pencil, lower right
Christie’s online: 14 March 2023
Estimated: GBP 15,000 – 25,000
GBP 22,680 / USD 27,896

Morons (LA Edition), 2006
Numbered 120/500 in pencil, with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower right
Sotheby’s New-York: 18 December 2020
USD 107,100 / GBP 79,925

4. Morons (signed)

 

Morons (signed), 2007
Signed and dated in pencil within the image
Numbered 142/150 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s online: 26 April 2022
GBP 81,900 / USD 103,194

Morons (signed), 2007
Signed and dated in pencil, lower right
Numbered 97/150 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Sotheby’s New-York: 21 April 2022
USD 94,500

Morons (signed), 2007
Signed and dated in pencil within the image
Numbered 103/150 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower left
Christie’s online: 1 April 2021
GBP 75,000 / USD 103,500

Gallery

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