Devolved Parliament (Banksy)

Devolved Parliament is a 2009 oil-on-canvas painting by Banksy, replacing British politicians debating in the House of Commons with chimpanzees. In 2019, the artwork became Banksy's most costly to date, selling for £9.9 million ($12.2 million) at Sotheby's in London on October 3, 2019.[1][2][3]

Devolved Parliament
Question Time
Artist	Banksy
Year	2009
Dimensions	4.3 m (14 ft)

The work measures 2.5 m × 4.2 m (8 ft 2 in × 13 ft 9 in).[3] It was titled Question Time when first shown at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery's 2009 Banksy show.[2] It was sold to a private collector in 2011.[3] The depiction of chimpanzees echoes Banksy's 2002 work Laugh Now, a 6-foot-long stencilled work showing a row of apes wearing aprons with the inscription "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge".[3]

A reworked and retitled version of the painting was exhibited in Bristol in March 2019, with changes to details such as a banana and some lamps.[3] Banksy commented, "Laugh now, but one day no-one will be in charge".[3] It was sold at auction in October 2019.[3]

See also

• List of most expensive artworks by living artists

References

1. Davies, Guy (October 3, 2019). "Banksy painting depicting British politicians as apes breaks auction record". ABC News. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
2. Reyburn, Scott (October 3, 2019). "Banksy Painting 'Devolved Parliament' Sells for $12 Million". The New York Times. London. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
3. Banksy, Devolved Parliament, Sotheby's, 3 October 2019