Originally created in 2005 and exhibited at Bansky's second gallery show in London the painting is Banksy's take on Claude Monet’s famous work 'Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lillies'. In 'Show Me the Monet', Banksy has added abandoned shopping trollies and traffic cones to the pond making a comment on society's disregard for the environment in favour of excess consumerism. The tribute piece will be sold at Sotheby's London for an estimated £3-£5 million.
The artwork was displayed publicly at Sotheby’s New Bond Street galleries until the 19th of September and is now moving to New York and Hong Kong for further exhibition. It will then return to London where it will go on sale at a live-streamed auction on the 21st of October.
The painting is part of Banksy's series of what he has termed “remixes” of canonical artworks known as the 'Crude Oils'. The series consists of works in which Banksy subverts the language of art history to recreate renowned artworks with his own style and commentary. Other famous 'Crude Oils' include Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers portrayed wilting in their vase; Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks augmented by an angry man in Union Jack shorts who has just broken the bar window and of course the iconic reimagining of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe as Kate Moss.
Branczik continues: “Recent years have seen seminal Banksys come to auction, but this is one of his strongest, and most iconic, to appear yet. From Love is in the Bin, to the record-breaking Devolved Parliament, to this take on Monet, October just wouldn’t be complete without a big Banksy moment.”
We are certainly excited to see how the artworks performs in October. If you're interested in Banksy in the meantime don't hesitate to get in touch to request a catalogue.
