This work will be sold as Lot 33-A

PROVENANCE Private Collection, Wellington Purchased in Bristol, 2003 by current owner This work is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity from Pest Control

Laugh Now became known worldwide, and reached a milestone in Urban Art when one of the original artworks sold at auction in 2008 for almost US$500,000. Fiirst created in 2002, it is an unusual artwork because it was originally commissioned by a nightclub in Brighton instead of appearing on the street. Since then, Banksy has recreated this iconic piece of art for sale many times, with several versions of the street art piece appearing as prints in the Existencilism show of 2002, his first solo exhibition in Los Angeles. Laugh Now depicts a monkey standing upright, his shoulders sloped and his face is drawn; although the eyes are in shadow, his expression shows that he feels downtrodden and ashamed. He wears a sandwich board with text that reads, defiantly, "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge."

Banksy uses the monkey to illustrate the arrogance of humanity. Following the publication of Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution, which asserted that humans evolved from apes, humans set out to create distance between themselves and their relatives by ridiculing apes and monkeys as stupid savages. Monkeys have since performed demeaning tasks in public at the behest of humans and are characterized as howling baboons, aggressive monsters, cute organ grinders, and clever thieves.