Morons under the hammer
Banksy is back on Tyneside auction scene again. Tony Henderson reports
Another Banksy artwork is to be auctioned on Tyneside
Titled Morons, the screenprint will be the highlight of Anderson and Garland’s Modern Art and Design Auction on Thursday (May 29).
Described as rare and culturally significant, the work is estimated at £12,000 to £18,000 and offers a wry commentary on the art market itself.
It will be sold with provenance and a certificate of authenticity from Banksy’s ‘Pest Control’.
Originally released in 2006 as part of Banksy’s now-legendary Barely Legal exhibition in Los Angeles, Morons quickly cemented itself as one of his most ironic works.
The limited-edition artwork features a crowded auction room in which bidding is taking place for a painting . The inscription reads: I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU MORONS ACTUALLY BUY THIS SHIT.
The print draws its inspiration from the 1987 record-breaking sale of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at Christie’s in London, which achieved £22.5 million ,equivalent to over £54 million today.
Ironically, the artist would go on to challenge similar auction records himself, including the £16.8 million sale of his Game Changer in 2021, with proceeds donated to the NHS.
Anderson and Garland’s association with Banksy is well established. In 2021, the firm achieved a landmark result with the sale of The Merrivale Stable, which realised over £1 million.
More recently, the auction house presented a collection of works and personal items consigned by a former partner of the elusive artist. These included hand-drawn birthday cards and a hand-painted shop sign, with one birthday card alone fetching nearly £30,000.
The central figure depicted in Morons is widely believed to be Charles Hindlip, the auctioneer who presided over the historic 1987 Van Gogh sale.
In a further twist, Hindlip himself once owned a signed monochrome edition of Morons, which went on to sell for £71,500 in 2021; far exceeding its estimate of £10,000 to £15,000.
Also in the sale is a Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood Anarchy in the UK Sex Pistols handkerchief from 1977, with an estimate of £200-£400.
Handkerchiefs of the same design can be found in the collection of the V&A in London.
Meanwhile a depiction of the Girl With a Pearl Earring blowing bubble gum by Ant Fox is expected to sell for between £400 and £800.