Monkey Queen Banksy

Banksy, Monkey Queen, signed screenprint edition of 150, 2003

Banksy’s screenprint, Monkey Queen, depicts a monkey wearing all the ornamentation of a Queen -- crown, diamond necklace, and earrings – in front of a background of red, white, blue – just not that of the Union Jack, more the ‘target’ symbol synonymous with Mods. The three colour artwork of the photo-realistic monkey in Banksy’s spray-stencil-style; is reminiscent of his earlier work Laugh Now, in which he prophesizes a society run by our primate cousins. This painting first appeared at a youth centre’s club called The Chill Out Zone on Broad Street in Newent in the early 2000s. The youth centre was asked not to display the image during the Queen’s Golden Jubilee.  Monkey Queen was released as a signed limited edition print of 150 and an unsigned print of 600.