Two of the biggest names in the contemporary street scene, Banksy and Kaws, are the stars of Phillips' first exhibition of 2020 in New York, titled Ten Monkeys and a Dolphin: Banksy & KAWS. The exhibition brings together twenty important works by the two artists, including paintings, sculptures and prints. The works can be purchased directly from the exhibition till 10 February.
Last year, both Banksy and Kaws dominated the market and achieved several record prices. Banksy's Devolved Parliament, which had apt Brexit references, sold for £9.9 million (above a high estimate of £2 million) at Sotheby's London last October, after 13 intense minutes of bidding. At nearly 4.5 metres in width, it is considered Banksy's largest known oil painting.
Kaws' The Kaws Album also sold for £12.1 million (fifteen times its high estimate) at Sotheby's Hong Kong in April 2019. The artwork was commissioned in 2005 by Nigo and inspired by The Simpsons The Yellow Album – a collection of songs released in 1998 (whose cover is a parody of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band).
All the works on display come from the same collector, who wishes to remain anonymous but who already collaborated with the auction house last year. "The market is very lively for both, but they have not yet reached the Warhol or Basquiat price levels and that is why the works are still accessible for different types of collectors," said Phillips' private sales manager Miety Heiden to Artnet.
The prices of the works for sale range from $25,000 to $4 million (£19,300 to £3.1 mil). Highlights of the Banksy exhibit include the now famous Girl with Balloon, Love is in the Air and Mona Lisa Pink, a spray paint on canvas that depicts the Mona Lisa on a pink background. Top Kaws' works include Companion 4FT – one of the 'toys' that have become the trademark of the American artist – and the colourful abstract acrylic on canvas Untitled, made in 2013.
The works will be on sale and exhibited at the Phillips headquarters in New York until 10 February.
