£19,000-£28,000 VALUE (EST.)
$35,000-$50,000 VALUE (EST.)
$30,000-$45,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥160,000-¥230,000 VALUE (EST.)
€22,000-€30,000 VALUE (EST.)
$180,000-$270,000 VALUE (EST.)
¥3,060,000-¥4,510,000 VALUE (EST.)
$23,000-$35,000 VALUE (EST.)
This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
Screenprint, 2003
Unsigned Print Edition of 600
H 76cm x W 56cm
TradingFloor
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Joe Syer, Head of Urban & Contemporary Art
Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 2022 | Bonhams Knightsbridge - United Kingdom | Happy Choppers - Unsigned Print | |||
November 2022 | Tate Ward Auctions - United Kingdom | Happy Choppers - Unsigned Print | |||
November 2022 | Bonhams Online - United Kingdom | Happy Choppers - Unsigned Print | |||
October 2022 | Bonhams New Bond Street - United Kingdom | Happy Choppers - Unsigned Print | |||
October 2022 | Tate Ward Auctions - United Kingdom | Happy Choppers - Unsigned Print | |||
September 2022 | SBI Art Auction - Japan | Happy Choppers - Unsigned Print | |||
September 2022 | Forum Auctions London - United Kingdom | Happy Choppers - Unsigned Print |
Happy Choppers is an early, witty Banksy screen print, released as an unsigned limited edition of 600 in 2003.
The overt and sarcastic criticism of warfare and military activity is something we have come to expect from Banksy artwork, such as powerful works like Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower) This artwork depicts a hailstorm of gunships, possibly Apaches, approaching over the horizon. A bright blue sky behind them, and fluffy cartoonish clouds belies the oncoming danger. The helicopters are incredibly detailed, with particularly accurate recreation of the rotor blades and landing gear - which serves to accentuate the peril evoked by the artwork. One helicopter is wrapped in a cutesy baby pink ribbon, as though it were a gift, which could be interpreted as a tongue-in-cheek nudge at politicians’ rhetoric who preach that when they export their democracy, they consider it a gift to the citizens whose lives they are about to turn upside down through violent conflict. Some commentary framed Happy Choppers as making light of war, however it is unlike Banksy to be so blasé about the loss and destruction associated with military activity and intervention, which is an issue he has advocated against throughout his artistic oeuvre.
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