The Prints & Multiples and ‘Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t’ online sales realised a total of £4,879,125/$6,734,926/€5,694,
Banksy: I can’t believe you morons actually buy this sh*t’ is cheekily titled in homage to the artist’s Morons screenprint. The source image of this work is a photograph of the record-breaking sale of Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers at Christie’s in 1987, with van Gogh’s canvas replaced by Banksy’s text.
Girl with Balloon (Colour AP – Gold) led this auction and featured some of the artist’s best-known and coveted screenprints, including a signed impression of Rude Copper. The auction happened last 9 Sep – 23 Sep 2021.
On the other hand, the Prints & Multiples online sale was led by Andy Warhol’s, Queen Elizabeth II, from: Reigning Queens, 1985 (illustrated above left) which sold for £212,500, more than double its pre-sale low estimate of £100,000 achieving a world auction record price for a standard edition. Overall, American Pop art performed extremely well, with further Andy Warhol record prices for Mickey Mouse at £187,500 (1981, estimate: £100,000-150,000) Chicken Noodle, from: Campbell’s Soup I at £56,250 (1968, estimate: £18,000-25,000), Vegetarian Vegetable, from: Campbell’s Soup II with £47,500 (1969, estimate: £20,000-30,000). Furthermore, Warhol’s Truck, consigned by Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung – BGL, Frankfurt am Main sold for a world auction record price for the set at £162,500 (1985, estimate: £50,000-70,000, illustrated above right).
Contemporary editions included Christopher Wool’s My House I, II, and III, 2000, selling for £68,750, a world auction record price against a low estimate of £40,000. Brice Marden’s Eagles Mere Muses also reached a world auction record price at £37,500 against a low estimate of £10,000.
Christie’s Prints & Multiples sales continue with the Prints & Multiples New York live auction on 21-22 October.