Girl with Balloon, 2004

sebastien laboureau

May 15, 2021

Girl with Balloon, 2004

Editions: 150 signed, 600 unsigned

‘This tender little fella has an almost poignant message. Banksy was never his mother’s favorite. And he was an only child.’

Immediately recognizable and instantly touching, Girl with Balloon is one of Banksy’s best-known images. It depicts a young child who reaches out to a red heart-shaped balloon that is just out of her reach, as her hair and dress are blown by a strong gust of wind. It is ambiguous as to whether she has intentionally released the balloon, evoking an endearing image of childhood freedom, or if she has accidentally lost her grip on the dangling string and is watching in despair as the balloon slips into oblivion. Either way, when the work was graffitied on London’s Waterloo Bridge (later removed by the council), Banksy paired it with the phrase ‘There is always hope’. Because of this the work has come to represent both childhood innocence and the importance of maintaining hope, even in the darkest of times.

‘There is always Hope’

Girl with Balloon, London South Bank, 2003

The red balloon, as the only spot of color, is an archetypal symbol of childhood and freedom many of us connect with. More than a simple child’s toy, it evokes fragility of what it stands for: innocence, dreams, hope and love. Girl with Balloon is one of Banksy’s many works that focus on the theme of childhood. The artist utilizes the innocence and moral virtue associated with children to turn a mirror on society, foregrounding its faults and injustices. Banksy frequently combines images of childhood, and its closely connected notions of both purity and nostalgia, with somber and despondent themes of war, political division, and mass-surveillance. In doing so, the tenderness of the child’s image evokes an increasingly powerful and provocative message. Viewers of Girl with Balloon cannot help but feel empathy for the young child’s loss. But, at the same time, her out-reached hand embodies a determined and admirable longing for something better. For this reason, the image has become a universal symbol of optimism.

Well loved by the public and collectors alike, her heartbreaking gesture reaches out to all of us making this one of the most recognizable artworks of the 21st century. Voted in 2017 as the United Kingdom’s favorite artwork, the image has unwavering appeal. Despite the physical graffiti versions being removed by the authorities, the iconic artwork lives on in many different iterations. Banksy has reimagined the work multiple times in recent years to align it with various political statements. This includes in 2014 to raise awareness of the war in Syria and in 2017 to encourage anti-Conservative voting in the UK election.

On 5 October 2018, a 2006 framed Girl with Balloon on canvas was auctioned at Sotheby’s London and sold for GBP 1,042,000, a record high for the artist. Moments after the closing bid, the artwork began to self-destruct by means of a hidden mechanical paper shredder that Banksy had built into the bottom of the frame. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on whom you ask) only the lower half was shredded instead of the entire piece as he intended. The room filled with art collectors looked on in horror and confusion as the canvas began to self-destruct, and countless others were watching the auction unfold online.

Just about three years after, the half-shredded work renamed Love Is In The Bin broke the record of the highest price ever achieved by Banksy at auction when it sold at Sotheby’s London for GBP 18,582,000 / USD 25,457,340.

Banksy has created many original artworks based on this iconic stencil, including 2 editions on canvas.

Girl and Balloon, 2003

Stencil spray-paint on canvas

50.8 x 50.8 cm (20×20 inches)

Edition: 25

Girl with Balloon (Diptych), 2005
Spray paint on canvas, in two parts
Each: 30.2 x 30.2 cm (11 7/8 x 11 7/8 inches)
Edition: 25
Christie’s London, 15 October 2021
GBP 3,042,500 / USD 4,168,225

Banksy has very well understood how he could use this powerful artwork to impact the world and share important messages. From the Syrian Girl with Balloon, to M.V. Louise Michel, Girl with Balloon has reached a notoriety very few other artworks have, after Mona Lisa…

Read Girl with Balloon: From Graffiti to Art History Icon

DESCRIPTION

Girl with Balloon

Year: 2004

Medium: Screen-print in colors on wove paper

Size: 70×50 cm (27 1/2 x 19 3/4 inches)

Publisher: Pictures on Walls

Editions

Signed Edition: 150

Unsigned Edition: 600

Artist’s Proof: 88 signed AP
4 colorways: 22 signed AP of each
Gold AP, Dark Pink AP, Dark Purple AP, Light Pink AP

COLORWAYS

Girl with Balloon (Gold AP), 2004

Edition: 22 signed AP

Girl with Balloon (Dark Pink AP), 2004

Edition: 22 signed AP

Girl with Balloon (Dark Purple AP), 2004
Edition: 22 signed AP

AUCTION RESULTS

Updated as of 30 June 2022

1. Girl with Balloon (unsigned)

Girl with Balloon (unsigned) is the print that sells the most at auction, with 7 lots sold at auction as of 30 June 2022, 20 lots sold at auction in 2021, and 13 lots in total in 2020. There is a strong disparity in prices achieved at auction mostly due to condition issues. Obviously, prints which are not in excellent condition do not sell at a premium.

Girl with Balloon (unsigned), 2004
Numbered 391/600 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower right
Sotheby’s London, 30 June 2022
GBP 100,800 / USD 123,984

Girl with Balloon (unsigned), 2004
Numbered 133/600 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower right
Bonhams London, 3 March 2022
GBP 152,750 / USD 207,740

Girl with Balloon (unsigned), 2004
Numbered /600 in pencil
Forum Auctions, 3 March 2022
GBP 134,000 / USD 182,240

Girl with Balloon (unsigned), 2004
Numbered 401/600 in pencil with the publisher’s blindstamp, lower right
Phillips London, 19 January 2022
GBP 163,800 / USD 224,406