Banksy’s ‘Laugh Now’
Laugh Now is one of Banksy’s best artworks from 2003 was first commissioned by the Ocean Rooms nightclub on Morley Street in Brighton.
In 2003 the piece was reproduced as a limited edition print for sale with only 150 signed and 600 Laugh Now unsigned prints in the series.
Laugh Now is rendered in Banksy’s signature monochrome stenciled style. It portrays a forlorn monkey, wearing a sandwich board bearing the words “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge”. The heavy board, along with the monkey’s slumped shoulders and sunken eyes suggests that he is oppressed or enslaved.
ABOUT THIS WORKBanksy’s Laugh Now is one of the earliest Banksy artworks that became known worldwide, and reached a milestone in Urban Art when one of the original artworks sold at auction in 2008 for almost $500,000. Laugh Now, first created in 2002, is an unusual artwork because it was originally commissioned by a nightclub in Brighton instead of appearing on the streets. 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 often-forgotten Existencilism exhibition of 2002, Banksy’s first solo show in Los Angeles. Laugh Now is a popular Banksy artwork and the artist has since used the monkey as a common character symbol in his graffiti art. Laugh Now depicts a monkey standing upright. His shoulders are 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.”