Share on twitter
Share on facebook
Share on pinterest
Share on email

Girl And Balloon, 2003

BY

Girl and Balloon, 2003
Edition: 25
Stencil spray-paint on canvas
40×40 cm (16×16 inches)
Stenciled “BANKSY” in red spray paint on the turnover edge
Numbered /25 in black ink on the stretcher

Girl and Balloon, first realized in 2003, is without a doubt one of the most iconic images of the 21st century. Instantly recognizable, its enduring success lies within the ease with which it has been disseminated and reproduced online by a new, tech-savvy generation of art lovers. Despite this, its earliest renditions on the streets of London have been lost, and the present series of canvases from 2003 and the subsequent prints released the following year are the only concrete testimony to the work’s appeal.
With its striking simplicity and raw immediacy, Girl with Balloon, 2003, is one of the most widely recognizable images by the anonymous and world-renowned artist Banksy. Unlike the other editioned iterations of this famous motif, the present example belongs to a rare silkscreen edition 25 artist’s proofs. Beating Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire, Constable’s The Hay Wain and Hockney’s A Bigger Splash to the top spot, Banksy’s Girl with Balloon was voted the nation’s favorite artwork in a 2017 poll; a resounding affirmation of the broad and wide-reaching popularity of this undeniably iconic and culturally formidable image. This accolade was further compounded by the dramatic live ‘shredding’ event at Sotheby’s in October 2018 which notoriously turned a Girl with Balloon canvas into Love is in the Bin – a work that dominated headlines the world over, taking the art world by storm and has since been exhibited at the Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden and more recently at the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. It’s impact on the latter’s visitor numbers was substantial, and further reinforces the power of this image and its mysterious author.
Born in Bristol and based in England, Banksy has garnered international acclaim for his distinctive style of satirical street art and graffiti, executed using a technique of stenciling. His work is rich in dark humor and frequently captioned with subversive epigrams that provide poignant and potent commentaries on the social and political aspects of contemporary society. Girl with Balloon depicts a small child rendered in black and white who reaches out towards a bright red, heart-shaped balloon dangling from a string. Like much of Banksy’s work, the image is an ambiguous one, leaving the viewer to decipher whether the girl is reaching out to catch the balloon – a vibrant emblem of childhood delight – or rather has let it slip from her fingers and is watching in anguish as it drifts into oblivion, a metaphor, perhaps, for the inevitable loss of childhood and innocence. Composed in spray paint and acrylic on canvas, the motif is based on an original graffiti mural which first appeared in London in 2002. Instantly gettable, Banksy’s graffiti image is a perfect encapsulation of human emotion for the fast-pace of our social media age: it seditiously pokes fun at high-minded art world savoir faire and in doing so appeals to many, for whom it represents a contemporary expression of sanctity, a bright and vivid symbol of hope everlasting. Ultimately, however, Girl with Balloon is the supreme icon within Banksy’s canon of motifs: whether you are for or against him, this image utterly encapsulates the immediacy and controversy surrounding the artist’s mission.

Auction Results

Girl and Balloon, 2003

Christie’s Hong-Kong: 26 September 2024
Estimated: HKD 7,000,000 – 10,000,000
HKD 8,568,000 / USD 1,100,430

Girl and Balloon (christies.com)

BANKSY (B. 1974)
Girl and Balloon, 2003
Spray paint on canvas
40×40 cm (16×16 inches)
Stenciled ‘BANKSY’ (on the side)
Numbered ‘21⁄25’ (on the stretcher bar)

Girl with Balloon, 2003

Sotheby’s London: 29 June 2021
Estimated: GBP 1,000,000 – 1,500,000
GBP 2,072,000 / USD 2,851,549
AUCTION RECORD FOR GIRL AND BALLOON

Girl with Balloon | British Art Evening Sale: Modern/Contemporary | 2021 | Sotheby’s (sothebys.com)

BANKSY (b. 1974)
Girl with Balloon, 2003
Spray paint on canvas
40.5 x 40.5 cm (16×16 inches)
Stenciled with the artist’s name on the overlap
Numbered 24/25 on the stretcher
This work is number 24 from an edition of 25

Provenance
Kindit Ltd T/AS PYMCA, London
Acquired from the above by the present owner in March 2004

Girl and Balloon, 2003

Bonhams London: 7 March 2018
Estimated: GBP 150,000 – 200,000
GBP 344,750 / USD 432,574
BANKSY (British, born 1975)
Girl and Balloon, 2003
Stencil spray paint on canvas
50.8 x 50.8 cm (20×20 inches)
Signed in stencil on the turnover edge
Numbered 17/25 on the stretcher

Provenance
Santa’s Ghetto, London
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner in 2003

Girl and Balloon, 2003

Bonhams London: 19 October 2011
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 40,000
GBP 66,050 / USD 104,295

BANKSY (British, born 1975)
Girl and Balloon, 2003
Stencil spray paint on canvas
40.5 x 40.5 cm (15 15/16 x 15 15/16 inches)
Signed with spray paint to the overlap
Dated 2003 and numbered 12/25 to the reverse

 

 

Provenance
Santa’s Ghetto, London (acquired directly from the above in 2003)
Sale: Bonhams, Vision 21, 24 October 2007, lot 247
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Balloon Girl, 2005

Bonhams London: 21 September 2011
Estimated: GBP 20,000 – 30,000
GBP 55,250 / USD 86,085
ASIDE FROM THE EDITION

BANKSY (b.1975)
Balloon Girl, 2005
Spray paint on canvas
40.5 x 40.5 cm (15 15/16 x 15 15/16 inches)
Signed with spray paint on the overlap
Signed, inscribed HAPPY ANNIVERSARY and dated 2005 on the stretcher

Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner in 2005

Balloon Girl, 2003

Bonhams London: 13 April 2011
Estimated: GBP 30,000 – 50,000
GBP 46,800 / USD 76,185

BANKSY (British, born 1975)
Balloon Girl, 2003
Spray paint on canvas
40.5 x 40.5 cm (15 15/16 x 15 15/16 inches)
Signed, dated and numbered ‘5/25’ in marker pen verso

Provenance
Santa’s Ghetto, 2003

 

 

Gallery

More like this

wpChatIcon
wpChatIcon