Banksy Laugh Now – Limited Edition Screen Print

Our Banksy prints are produced using the exact methods as Banksy’s early works. Each piece masterfully silk screen printed by hand to the correct colour specification and dimensions, onto the original 300gsm untreated cartridge paper used by Pictures on Walls.

Details:

Artist: Banksy
Title: Laugh Now
Medium: Screen print on 300gsm untreated cartridge paper
Format: Limited edition replica
Year of original: 2003
Size: H 70cm x W 50cm
Framing details: Not framed
Edition size: 500
Signed: No
Condition: New
Provenance: banksyprints.online COA

The print will be despatched rolled in an oversized strong art postal tube with acid-free tissue and heavy kraft paper via courier, insurance to full value.

International collectors welcome.

Why is Laugh Now so Iconic?

Originally appearing in 2002 at the Ocean Rooms night club in Brighton, Laugh Now was a six-metre long spray-painted mural, featuring the monkey’s now-iconic figure with the words “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge” appearing ten times in a row.  

Laugh Now was later released as 150 signed and 600 unsigned screen prints, published and sold by Pictures on Walls in 2003. The original painting was sold on behalf of the Ocean Rooms by Bonham’s in 2008 and reached a figure, a record auction price of almost $500,000.  Laugh Now has gone on to become one of Banksy’s most enduring and internationally recognised works.  

Completed in the signature monochrome stencilled style, the painting depicts a crestfallen monkey adorned with a sandwich board with the words “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge” emblazoned upon it. The fallen shoulders from the sandwich board’s weight coupled with the heavy brow and sunken eyes display an image of oppression and enslavement.  

The monkey and the rat are two of Banksy’s most commonly used animal characters in humankind’s satirisation. He is using them in a didactical way to convey his critical social commentary. The juxtaposed nature of the image, coupled with the catchphrase carries a powerful and emotional message.