Throughout Banksy’s oeuvre, one image stands out amongst the rest.
Stencilled in black, a young girl looks up at a balloon, her hair swept up in the wind. The red, heart-shaped balloon floats away as she reaches out toward it.
This early work by the illustrious street artist is arguably Banksy’s most popular image. Featuring on screenprints, spraypainted canvas, and, of course, on walls, Girl with Balloon is ubiquitous across the art world and beyond, practically stencilled onto the aesthetic memory of the 21st century.
Girl with Balloon first appeared in London as a mural on the streets of Shoreditch in 2002, as well as later that year on the Southbank.
In 2004, Banksy created the only print edition of this iconic work. With only 600 unsigned and 150 signed prints, along with 88 artist’s proofs, Girl with Balloon’s relative rarity lends to its popularity.
Always in demand, it is of no surprise that these prints frequently appear at auction. Consistently breaking records for the artist and print sales more generally, Banksy enthusiasts may seek out versions of the balloon in the classic red, as well as pink, purple, blue, and gold.
The artist has looked to his original Girl with Balloon image for inspiration when commenting on or drawing attention to various political issues. In 2005, Banksy spray painted the girl holding many balloons and floating on the West Bank border wall, calling attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In 2014, a version in which the girl is wearing a hijab was projected on various landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and Nelson’s Column, to show support for Syrian refugees.
Most recently, Banksy created a new version of the image where the girl grasps a pink, heart-shaped life preserver, to adorn the M.V. Louise Michel. The artist financed this rescue boat in 2020 to help save refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean.
Ever polemical, Banksy used Girl with Balloon to spark controversy in 2017 amidst the UK general election. Adding a Union Jack to the balloon, the politically-engaged artist offered a free print to those who voted against the incumbent party. Nevertheless, Banksy had to renege on this promotion, with the Electoral Commission warning the artist about election bribery laws.
The following year, Banksy turned his attention from critiquing the government to challenging the art world. In October 2018, the gavel at a Sotheby’s London evening sale came down, awarding the lucky bidder a unique Girl with Balloon painting in an ornate artist’s frame. To the shock of the auctioneer and his audience, the painting immediately began to self-destruct, revealing the shredder masterfully hidden in the frame. The artist posted a picture of his shredded masterpiece on Instagram with the caption ‘Going, going, gone’, a quintessential example of Banksy’s tongue in cheek take on the secondary art market. This new work, rechristened Love is in the Bin, arrived back in the auction room three years later. It achieved £16,000,000, creating an auction record for this prolific artist.