BANKSY (BRITISH B.1974)
Banksquiat (Grey)
2019
signed and numbered from the edition of 300 in white pencil
screenprint in colour on wove
published by the artist in collaboration with Gross Domestic Product
sheet 75 x 70cm
framed
ARR

Provenance: purchased direct from Gross Domestic Product. This lot is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity, issued by Pest Control Office.
Note:
Banksy pays homage to Basquiat in this 2019 screenprint. He first engaged with Basquiat in 2017, painting two murals at the Barbican Centre, to mark the opening of the Basquiat exhibit. One was this Banksqiat design- poking fun at the commodification of the artist as visitors queue up to ride on one of Basquiat's iconic crown gondolas. The other reworks Basquiats 'Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump', with the boy instead being stopped and searched by police officers

Banksy often references artists who were considered outsiders during thier lifetime, Monet, Van Gogh, Haring, and Basquiat- who as a young gay, black man emerging from the graffiti scene was broadly uncelebrated. Banksy uses these artists to critique the commercial and critical art establishments.

Perhaps Banksy paid particular homage to Basquiat because such strong parallels can be drawn between the artists- both evolving from street grafitti, eventually being inducted into the greats of art history by the public and establishment alike. Both artists produced deeply political works, providing a social commentry on colonialism, class struggles, structural racism and police brutality. In a similar tragectory to Basquiat, Banksy is now part of the mass commodification of art, however he has found himself celebrated within his lifetime 'I can't believe you morons actually buy this shit'.