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Girl With Balloon (purple) - Signed Print by Banksy 2004 - MyArtBroker

Girl With Balloon (purple)
Signed Print

Banksy

£240,000-£360,000Value Indicator

$490,000-$740,000 Value Indicator

$440,000-$670,000 Value Indicator

¥2,320,000-¥3,480,000 Value Indicator

€280,000-€420,000 Value Indicator

$2,540,000-$3,820,000 Value Indicator

¥47,730,000-¥71,600,000 Value Indicator

$320,000-$490,000 Value Indicator

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70 x 50cm, Edition of 88, Screenprint

Medium: Screenprint

Edition size: 88

Year: 2004

Size: H 70cm x W 50cm

Signed: Yes

Format: Signed Print

Last Auction: April 2022

Value Trend:

-18% AAGR

AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.

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Auction Results

Auction Date
Auction House
Location
Return to Seller
Hammer Price
Buyer Paid
April 2022
Sotheby's Online
United Kingdom
N/A
N/A
N/A
September 2020
Christie's London
United Kingdom
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Track auction value trend

The value of Banksy's Girl With Balloon (purple) is estimated to be worth between £240,000 and £360,000. This signed screenprint, created in 2004, has shown a consistent value growth since its first sale in September 2020. The artwork has an impressive auction history, having been sold once in the past 12 months. Over the past five years, the hammer price has shown a positive average annual growth rate of 4%. This work is part of a limited edition of 88.

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Meaning & Analysis

Girl With Balloon is one of the most sought-after Banksy images for collectors, old and new. The work depicts a young girl, whose hair and dress are blowing in the wind, reaching for a red, heart-shaped balloon that has slipped from her grasp and is flying out of reach. The red balloon is an archetypal symbol many of us connect with as a motif of childhood and hope; and the picture, depending on whether you see the girl as losing the balloon, or about to catch it, can be viewed either as a loss of innocence, or the arrival of hope. The heart-shaped balloon has been recognised as a symbol for dreams, aspirations, childlike purity and innocence, whilst the heart shape may simply stand for hope, or joy. Banksy often uses children throughout his oeuvre in a similar context, seen in other notable works such as No Ball Games, Jack&Jill and Nola bearing similar associations.

This work originally appeared in London’s Southbank accompanied by a quotation that read, 'there is always hope' and was meant to be covered up by the local council. However, Girl With Balloon quickly became one of Banksy’s most iconic works, voted the UK's most favourite piece of art in 2017. Girl With Balloon became the subject of the most talked about public art stunt in history the following year, when it self-destructed in front of the entire auction saleroom, as the hammer came down on a final £1.4 million bid at Sotheby's Evening Sale. Banksy posted an image of the work shredding itself on his own Instagram feed the same day, with the caption: 'Going, going, gone.'

Pest Control, Banksy’s only authentication body, gave the work a new title, Love Is In The Bin. The buyer of the work, a female European collector, proceeded with her purchase, commenting, “When the hammer came down last week and the work was shredded, I was at first shocked, but gradually I began to realise that I would end up with my own piece of art history.”

It seems Girl With A Balloon resonates across all audiences - even pop icon Justin Bieber got a tattoo on his right arm, seemingly meant to replicate the work. When Bieber posted his new ink on his social media account Banksy’s fans quickly called for it to be 'amputated under copyright law', the comment received over 2,500 ‘likes’.

  • Renowned British street artist, Banksy, is the enigmatic figure behind some of the most subversive works in the Urban Art scene. Despite his anonymity, the artists' disruptive stunts have not only gained him notoriety, but they have vocalised his stance on many social and political issues. As seen with the likes of Girl With Balloon and Napalm, Banksy uses his distinctive stencil technique to produce thought-provoking commentaries on challenging themes. The showcase of rebellion that lines his work has caused his secondary market value to soar in recent years, propelling him to the top of the Urban Art scene.