£60,000-£90,000
$120,000-$170,000 Value Indicator
$110,000-$160,000 Value Indicator
¥550,000-¥820,000 Value Indicator
€70,000-€110,000 Value Indicator
$590,000-$880,000 Value Indicator
¥11,620,000-¥17,430,000 Value Indicator
$80,000-$110,000 Value Indicator
AAGR (5 years) This estimate blends recent public auction records with our own private sale data and network demand.
There aren't enough data points on this work for a comprehensive result. Please speak to a specialist by making an enquiry.
Medium: Screenprint
Edition size: 600
Year: 2004
Size: H 70cm x W 50cm
Signed: No
Format: Unsigned Print
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Auction Date | Auction House | Artwork | Hammer Price | Return to Seller | Buyer Paid |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
October 2024 | Forum Auctions London - United Kingdom | Girl With Balloon - Unsigned Print | |||
September 2024 | Phillips London - United Kingdom | Girl With Balloon - Unsigned Print | |||
July 2024 | Sotheby's New York - United States | Girl With Balloon - Unsigned Print | |||
May 2024 | SBI Art Auction - Japan | Girl With Balloon - Unsigned Print | |||
March 2024 | Sotheby's London - United Kingdom | Girl With Balloon - Unsigned Print | |||
September 2023 | Bonhams Knightsbridge - United Kingdom | Girl With Balloon - Unsigned Print | |||
August 2023 | Forum Auctions London - United Kingdom | Girl With Balloon - Unsigned Print |
Girl With Balloon (2004) is an unsigned screen print from an edition of 600, featuring Banksy's most iconic image. It depicts a girl reaching for a heart-shaped balloon in Banksy’s graffiti stencil style. Banksy’s meaning is subjective: some see it as a symbol of loss, whereas others see hope and freedom.
Girl With Balloon is perhaps one of the most sought-after 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; and the picture, depending on whether you see the girl as losing the balloon, or about to catch it, can be viewed as a loss of innocence, or the arrival of hope. The heart-shaped balloon has been recognised as a symbol for dreams, aspirations, childhood innocence, whilst the heart shape may simply stand for love, hope, or joy.
This work, which was accompanied by a quotation that read, 'there is always hope' originally appeared in London’s Southbank; though the city council ordered the work to be painted over. Girl With Balloon has grown to become 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 sale room, 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.”
Perfectly reflected in the work's enduring appeal with both high end collectors, and the general public, it seems Girl With Balloon resonates across the board. Even Justin Bieber got a tattoo, seemingly meant to replicate the work, on his right arm. 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’.
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