I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU MORONS ACTUALLY BUY THIS SHIT!
For every art movement in the past century, there has been one seminal exhibition; one show that that has opened the floodgates of interest from critics, collectors, and copycats. For Pop Art, it was the American Supermarket show; for contemporary installation art, it was the Young British Artists shows. For graffiti and street art, that exhibition was Barely Legal. It was 2006, it was Los Angeles, and it was an exhibition of works by Banksy in a warehouse that turned the art world on its ear almost instantaneously. The “Barely Legal Print Set,” as six particular Banksy street art prints are known, are the most coveted artworks by Banksy from the exhibition. They are also the most rare and valuable screen print sets in urban art.
The iconic Barely Legal Print Set began production in July 2006 when Banksy approached respected Los Angeles printmaker Richard Duardo of Modern Multiples about creating new original works for his September exhibition. Duardo had been recommended to Banksy by fellow street artist Shepard Fairey. After securing the job, the late Duardo recounted that he did not hear again from Banksy until 10 days prior to the exhibition, when he flew into Los Angeles with his artwork ready for reproduction. The Modern Multiples team worked tirelessly for the next week producing six prints in editions of 100 each, with six Printer’s Proofs per image that were signed by Banksy and embossed with the insignia of Pictures On Walls, Banksy’s UK-based printer of record. There was originally supposed to be a seventh print depicting an aristocrat being hit in the face with a pie, but the print was dropped to due time constraints and the print’s complexity for color layers.
Seen here is what would have been the seventh and final print in the Barely Legal print set. This pie-faced aristocrat was on view as a painting in the 2006 Barely Legal show and has since remained in a private collection. This print was ultimately dropped due to time constraints only days before the opening of the exhibition.
Morons is one of Banksy’s harshest critiques toward the art market, and is a biting graffiti art print. The image depicts a crowd of art collectors gathering around an auctioneer. Among the paintings on display, the one up for sale is a large canvas surrounded by a gilded golden frame. The canvas contains the clearly-written words “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU MORONS ACTUALLY BUY THIS SHIT.” It is implied that the crowd is willing to part with huge sums of money to acquire the Banksy artwork for sale — irony or not.
“The art world is the biggest joke going. It’s a rest home for the overprivileged, the pretentious, and the weak.” – Banksy
Morons was released in an edition of 100 for the Barely Legal show, and is black and white save for the offending artwork frame, which is screen printed gold. In 2007, Pictures On Walls printed additional editions, with 500 unsigned in pure back and white, 150 signed in pure black and white, and 300 signed on a sepia background. All of the editions of the Banksy street art print Morons are quite valuable, naturally.
When Barely Legal opened to the public on September 16, 2006, it was enormously well-attended by arts aficionados, curious museum curators, and a list of celebrities from Angelina Jolie to Jude Law. Among the highlights of the exhibition were an Indian elephant painted to match brocade wallpaper, a graffiti-covered van, and numerous paintings and installations. Banksy sold the unsigned prints for $500 apiece. After the show ended, Pictures On Walls ordered Modern Multiples to destroy the plates for the Barely Legal Print Set. Pictures On Walls produced their own limited edition run of the set in late 2006 with 50 signed and 100 unsigned editions of each print. Many sets were broken up at that time and over the years as Banksy’s value rose, and to possess a matched set is a very rare and wonderful acquisition indeed. Barely Legal spurred the first major museum exhibitions of street art, including the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles’ Art In The Streets, which is the institution’s highest attendance exhibition to date.
If you would like to sell your Banksy art, the Barely Legal Print Set is a moment in history and are extremely rare, desirable, and profitable limited edition urban art prints. If you would like to buy a Barely Legal Print Set, both the Modern Multiples editions and the Pictures On Walls editions are highly rare, especially in a set. To purchase a signed set or a signed matched set is to own a part of Banksy’s artistic legacy at a groundbreaking point in his development, as well as the point in time that graffiti and urban art became worthy of critical consideration. Hexagon Gallery is the leader for Banksy art sales in the United States. To sell or buy Banksy art, please contact info@hexagongallery.com.
