MISSING ORIGINALS
Sweep It Under The Carpet
Year: 2006
Medium: Unknown
Dimensions: Unknown
Edition: Unique
Exhibition History
Barely Legal, Los Angeles, 2006
Sweep It Under A Carpet has become one of the most iconic Banksy’s visuals. It appears to be light-headed at first sight with typical Banksy’s humor, but in fact it illustrates how human beings have most of the time decided to ignore and not to face some of the most important problems impacting our modern societies.
The maid who is trying to dissimulate dust behind the spots is the same as the one who appeared on Chalk Farm Road in London in 2006…
Sweep It Under The Carpet, Chalk Farm Road, London, 2006
Sweep it Under the Carpet appeared on a wall on Chalk Farm Road, North London in 2006. It portrays a woman dressed as a maid who is sweeping dirt under the cover of a brick wall. The work is said to represent the reluctance of the Western world to deal with global issues such as poverty, or other issues dear to Banksy.
Those red bricks have been painted on the white wall of the White Cube gallery. The gallery let the painting stay for a while but eventually removed it.
The same artistic concept was also illustrated at Barely Legal, Banksy‘s exhibition in Los Angeles, where he showed a painted Elephant to illustrate what is considered as an “Elephant in the Room”.
An Elephant in the Room, Barely Legal, Los Angeles, 2006
“There’s an elephant in the room. There’s a problem we never talk about.”
The statement went on to say there were billions of people living below the poverty line. With this piece Banksy upholds his unique delivery of messages through his artwork. He once again tackled a critical, and often ignored, issue that plagues the world today – forcing his diverse population of fans to question and/or challenge the status quo.
Banksy explained the meaning behind this visual:
“In the bad old days, it was only popes and princes who had the money to pay for their portraits to be painted, this is a portrait of a maid called Leanne who cleaned my room in a Los Angeles motel. She was quite a feisty lady.”
Keep It Spotless, 2007
Household gloss and spray-paint on canvas
Sotheby’s New-York, 14 February 2008
USD 1,870,000
Household gloss and spray-paint on canvas
Sotheby’s New-York, 14 February 2008
USD 1,870,000
