History

• The first version of the design appeared on Waterloo Bridge, London in 2002.
• A stencil design, the image of a girl and a bright red balloon has since appeared in many different forms around the United Kingdom.
• It is often interpreted as representing innocence, hope and love.
• In 2004, it appeared on a shop in Shoreditch, London. It was removed and sold for £500,000 in 2005.
• After appearing in Shoreditch, it was then released as a print, with only 750 in the world.
• The original was accompanied with the quote ‘There is always hope’, and subsequent appearances have shown a variety of political and provocative phrases.

Composition

• 70x50cm
• Originals and graffiti designs were achieved with a stencil and spray paint
• Prints were stencil on canvas, screen printed.

Present Day

• In 2018, a signed print went to auction and was sold for £1,042,000. Moments after the winning bid, the artwork began to self destruct, going through a shredder hidden in the frame.
• The woman who won the bidding at the auction decided to go through with the purchase. The partially shredded work has been given a new title, Love Is in the Bin
• In July 2017, a Samsung poll of 2,000 people from the United Kingdom asked participants to rank twenty pieces of British art. The poll’s results listed Balloon Girl as the people’s number one favourite artwork.

Artist

• Banksy is an anonymous England based street artist, vandal, political activist, and film director.
• Banksy’s name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation, although there are many theories on who the artist is.
• Other works include ‘Show me the Monet’, ‘Draw the raised bridge’ and the film ‘Exit through the gift shop’.