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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.

The work measures 2.5 m × 4.2 m (8 ft 2 in × 13 ft 9 in). It was titled Question Time when first shown at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery's 2009 Banksy show. It was sold to a private collector in 2011. 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. Banksy commented, "Laugh now, but one day no-one will be in charge".

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", and the similar Keep it Real. Chimpanzees are a theme that has occurred throughout Banksy's oeuvre, as a satirical device in the tradition of the singerie that depicts monkeys imitating human behavior. Examples include his Self-Portrait (2000) which shows a person holding spray cans but with a chimpanzee's head, and Monkey Queen (2003) based on a portrait of Elizabeth II with a chimpanzee's face.

See also

• List of works by Banksy
• 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. Archived from the original on October 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
2. ^ Reyburn, Scott (October 3, 2019). "Banksy Painting 'Devolved Parliament' Sells for $12 Million". The New York Times. London. Archived from the original on October 7, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
3. ^ Banksy, Devolved Parliament Archived 2019-09-19 at the Wayback Machine, Sotheby's, October 3, 2019.
4. Banksy Monkey Business, Banksy Explained

• 2009 paintings
• Chimpanzees in art
• Political art
• Works by Banksy