Summary
A monochrome stencil of a hunched chimpanzee against a flat brown ground, wearing a sandwich board that reads "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge." It is one of Banksy's most recognizable images of the Pictures on Walls era, distilling his ape-as-underdog motif into a single deadpan threat about who really holds power.
Why It Matters
"Laugh Now" is a cornerstone of Banksy's anti-establishment vocabulary, recasting the monkey, a figure usually played for comedy or used to mock the lower rungs of a hierarchy, as a patient, dignified outsider warning the powerful that the order will eventually invert. The slumped posture and downcast eyes read as humiliation, but the placard reframes that humiliation as a coming reckoning, a classic Banksy move of pairing a sympathetic, even pitiable subject with a sharp political edge. The image's origins in a 2002 mural and its endless reuse on prints, walls, and merchandise made the caption itself a shorthand for class resentment and the revenge of the overlooked.
Collector Perspective
This is the Artist Proof from an edition of 70, the smaller AP tranche that sits outside (and is generally scarcer than) the larger signed and unsigned main editions of "Laugh Now," which makes it desirable to collectors who specifically chase the AP designation. As a Pictures on Walls screen print from 2005, it carries the provenance and production quality buyers expect from Banksy's most active print years. "Laugh Now" is one of his blue-chip, instantly recognizable images, so demand is deep, but condition is everything: the flat brown field shows handling, scuffs, and trimming readily, and as with all Banksy prints a Pest Control certificate is the key factor for authentication and resale confidence. Verify whether this specific impression is hand-signed or unsigned, as that single distinction materially changes the market position.
Historical Context
The image grew out of a large 2002 commission Banksy painted for the Ocean Rooms club in Brighton, a row of sandwich-board monkeys, before being isolated into this single-ape composition. The 2005 screen print falls squarely in Banksy's Stencil Boom Era, the mid-2000s window when Pictures on Walls editions moved him from street notoriety into the collectible print market. The caption's logic, the overlooked underclass quietly promising to take charge, lands in the same anti-capitalist, anti-establishment register as Banksy's rats, riot police, and protest imagery from the period.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A hunched chimpanzee against a flat brown background wearing a sandwich board that reads "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge." The ape is rendered in Banksy's signature black stencil style.
What is the edition size?
This is the Artist Proof (AP), part of an edition of 70 proofs, separate from the larger signed and unsigned main editions of Laugh Now.
Is this print signed?
This impression is the Artist Proof designation. Whether a given Laugh Now AP is hand-signed or unsigned should be confirmed for the specific impression, ideally alongside a Pest Control certificate.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print on paper, produced in 2005 through Pictures on Walls (POW).
Who is Banksy?
Banksy is the anonymous England-based street artist who emerged from Bristol in the early 1990s, known for fast stencil work, dark humor, and anti-war, anti-capitalist, anti-establishment imagery, with recurring motifs including rats, monkeys, and riot police.
About the Artist
Banksy is an anonymous England-based street artist, political activist and film director whose identity remains officially unconfirmed. Emerging from the Bristol underground scene in the early 1990s, he developed a fast, stencil-based technique for working in public space, pairing dark humour with anti-war, anti-capitalist and anti-establishment messages. Recurring motifs include rats, monkeys, riot police, and children with balloons or weapons. Many of his prints were published through Pictures on Walls and rank among the most heavily traded in the secondary market, while stunts such as the self-shredding Girl with Balloon, the Walled Off Hotel in Bethlehem and the Gross Domestic Product homeware line have made him one of the most recognised artists in the world.
Collecting Banksy at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic Banksy prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of Banksy prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new Banksy prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across Banksy and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.