Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t goes up for bids, September 11-24

London: Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t online sale is open for bidding from 11-24 September 2019, the first dedicated online auction of Banksy editions at Christie’s featuring thirty editions by the anonymous and notorious street-artist. 

The sale is titled in homage to the artist’s Morons (Sepia) screenprint (2007, estimate: £12,000-18,000, illustrated above left), which parodies a photograph of the record-breaking Christie’s sale of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers in 1987, with van Gogh’s canvas replaced by Banksy’s text.

Highlights of the sale will be on view at Christie’s King Street, London, from 14-17 September 2019.

The sale is led by an extremely rare artist’s proof of Girl with Balloon – Colour AP (Gold) (2004, estimate: £150,000-250,000, illustrated above centre).

Banksy’s Girl with Balloon initially appeared as a series of stencil murals sprayed in various locations across London, with the first example appearing on the steps of Waterloo Bridge on the Southbank in 2002. 

The subsequent screenprint of this iconic artwork is perhaps the most desirable of Banksy’s editions.

The image of the girl with the red balloon is synonymous with Banksy, but there were a limited number of signed artist's proofs made in other colour variations of purple, blue, pink and gold, although these are extremely rare, and this is the first time that any colour variant will be offered at auction. 

The online sale also features the famous version of the image with a red balloon, Girl with Balloon (2004, estimate: £50,000-70,000), which was produced in an edition of 150 signed and 600 unsigned impressions.

Further highlights include Choose Your Weapon (Lemon Yellow) (2010, estimate: £30,000-50,000, illustrated above right) and Choose Your Weapon (Magenta) (2010, estimate: £30,000-50,000) from the small signed editions of 25. 

With a large selection of both signed and unsigned prints, this sale offers a diverse range of subjects and price points for works by Britain’s favourite artist.

Christie’s, the world's leading art business, had auction sales in the first half of 2019 that totalled £2.2 billion / $2.8 billion. Christie’s is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and international expertise. 

Christie’s offers around 350 auctions annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectables, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $100 million.

Christie's also has a long and successful history conducting private sales for its clients in all categories, with emphasis on Post-War & Contemporary, Impressionist & Modern, Old Masters and Jewellery.

Alongside regular sales online, Christie’s has a global presence in 46 countries, with 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai, Zürich, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

Please note when quoting estimates above that other fees will apply in addition to the hammer price - see Section D of the Conditions of Sale at the back of the sale catalogue.

Estimates do not include buyer’s premium. Sales totals are hammer price plus buyer’s premium and are reported net of applicable fees.