Banksy's 'Barely Legal' parodying artwork of Demi Moore could fetch £3 mn at auction

The British street artist Banksy’s parody of American actor Demi Moore’s iconic 1991 Vanity Fair cover shot by Annie Leibovitz could fetch approximately £3 million at auction. The two-metre-long parodic painting titled “Original Concept for Barely Legal Poster (after Demi Moore)” will be auctioned at Sotheby’s this month after it was unveiled for the very first time in 2006 before Banksy’s first exhibition in the United States titled “Barely Legal.”

The artwork features a naked, heavily pregnant figure clutching her belly but wearing the mask which is associated with the British graffiti artist and smoking a cigarette. At the time, the same artwork was used against the backdrop of the Hollywood sign to promote the exhibition which reported witnessed at least 30,000 visitors including actors such as Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz. Often the artwork is described as Banksy “at his most outrageous.”

Emma Baker, the head of contemporary art evening sales at Sotheby’s London reportedly described the artwork by Banksy saying that it “embodies the tongue-in-cheek humour, the outrageousness of Banksy in that show. He’s poking fun at celebrity...It works on many levels, not just parody.” Further, she also noted that the monkey mask is “totally synonymous with Banksy” which is the artist’s proxy as a disguise. The Demi Moore parody by Banksy is being sold by a private owner and will be going to auction for the very first time.

Banksy artworks with a monkey face

In the version of the British graffiti artist, Moore’s face is obscured by a smoking boggle-eyed monkey in a wig and is executed by Banksy’s signature stencil and spray paint aesthetic. The artist has known for reframing global issues through the use of irony. His works range from global ethics, reforms by juxtaposing familiar icons of western capitalism. However, chimpanzee or monkey is one of the most widely reoccurring motifs behind the artist’s arsenal. 

Sotheby explained, “From the earliest Monkey Detonator and famous tabard wearing apes sporting the slogan ‘Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge’, through to works that directly mock the establishment, notably the ambitious dystopian reimagining of the House of Commons run amok with irate chimps (Devolved Parliament, 2009), primates are Banksy’s most frequently called-upon symbol, even when representing himself.”

BANKSY, DEVOLVED PARLIAMENT, 2009
ARTWORK: © BANKSY 2021

STILL OF THE ARTIST WITH THE MONKEY MASK FROM EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, 2010
IMAGE/ARTWORK: © BANKSY 2021

FILM STILL FROM EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, 2010
IMAGE: © BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

(Image credits: Unsplash/Banksy artwork in Germany)