Unless you’ve had your head buried in the sand, you’ll know that for the last nine days, Banksy has been up to his usual tricks, painting images of animals across London.
Banksy’s animal trail kicked off with an artwork of a mountain goat teetering on the edge, and has included elephants, cheeky monkeys and a cat enjoying a good stretch. Of course, one piece – a howling wolf painted on a satellite dish to appear like a full moon - has already been nicked!
Things have ramped up a notch over the last few days with the animal trail evolving into something more political, with one graffiti artwork depicting piranhas on a London Police Box, and another, a gorilla freeing animals painted onto the shutters of London Zoo.
The Banksy London animal trail coincides with an exciting new arrival at Enter Gallery. Monkey Queen is an artwork that caused widespread outrage back in 2003 when it was first released for its portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II as an ape.
In today’s blog, we’re revealing more about the trail and about our latest rare Banksy artwork. We’re also considering how Banksy has used animals in art across the years to make powerful protest art about the state of our modern world.
Photo credit: Banksy
Animal Kingdom
Each morning for the last nine days, our nation’s capital has awoken to discover a new artwork from Banksy. Painted across the city, everywhere from Cricklewood and Chelsea to Walthamstow and Peckham, each piece depicts a different species.
This morning, the artist revealed what is said to be the grand finale of the trail, although we remain hopeful for more! The piece depicts a gorilla prising open the shutters of London Zoo to allow his animal friends to escape to freedom.
Photo credit: Banksy
Of course, wherever Banksy goes, speculation is rife over the deeper meaning to his work. Some interesting theories expressed this week include the idea that the animals represent endangered species or that each work explores the foolishness of humans and how disconnected we’ve become from each other and from nature.
However, Banksy is reported to have stated that his intention with this series of works is simply to lift the public’s spirits during a period of particularly bleak news, and to ‘highlight the human ability for creative play rather than destruction and negativity.’
Photo credit: Banksy
Monkey Queen
Banksy’s foray back into the animal kingdom coincides with one of his most controversial artworks arriving at Enter Gallery.
Monkey Queen (2003) depicts HRH Elizabeth II as an ape in front of a Mod-style target. This inflammatory piece sparked so much news coverage for its disrespect of the then monarch, that the fallout was dubbed ‘Banksygate’.
At the time, Banksy commented that he created Monkey Queen to, ‘Celebrate the fact that the highest position in British Society is not a reward for talent or hard work, but simply handed out with the accident of birth.’
While all Banksy artworks are in high demand, this edition of Monkey Queen is even more rare, as it represents a mistake made by the artist himself.
The piece hails from a limited edition of 750, of which only the first 150 are numbered. This print is an almost unheard of duplicate number, caused by Banksy losing count as he was numbering them!
Monkey Business
Depictions of animals are nothing new for Banksy. Some of his most infamous works depict rats, monkeys, chimpanzees, leopards, pandas and more.
Enter Gallery’s latest Banksy monkey is one of many artworks from across his career. Whether using a monkey mask to conceal his own identity, or using chimps in place of humans to draw attention to areas of social and political struggle, apes are a motif that defines the career of the world’s most infamous street artist.
Devolved Parliament by Banksy. Photo credit: TOLGA AKMEN/AFP/Getty Images
If you’d like to chat to an Art Advisor about investing in this highly-collectible piece, contact the gallery today on +44 (0)1273 724829.
