Girl with Balloon

A girl reaches for a balloon. It is red and shaped like a heart. The wind blows it away.

An artist named Banksy made these paintings. He used spray paint on walls in London. Many people in the UK love this art.

Banksy made different versions of the art. One version used a flag design. Another showed a person from Syria.

One painting was very special. It had a tiny shredder inside the frame. When it was sold, the art shredded itself!

Now the shredded art has a new name. It is called Love Is in the Bin. It is a very famous piece of art.

A girl reaches for a red balloon. The balloon is shaped like a heart. The wind blows it away. This art is by a person named Banksy. He makes murals using stencils and spray paint. He first started this work in London in 2002.

Banksy makes many different versions of this art. One version shows a girl floating above a wall. This version is called Balloon Debate. He also made art to help people think about Syria. He used a hashtag called #WithSyria to help. In 2017, a poll showed people in the UK loved this art most of all.

Something very strange happened at an art sale in 2018. A framed copy of the art was sold for a lot of money. Right after it was sold, the art began to destroy itself! Banksy hid a small paper shredder inside the frame. The bottom half of the art shredded into pieces.

Banksy gave this new piece a new name. It is called Love Is in the Bin. Some people say it was the first art made live during a sale. The shredded art was later sold for 18 million pounds!

A young girl reaches toward a red, heart-shaped balloon. The wind carries the balloon away from her hand. This famous image is a series of stencil murals. They were created by a graffiti artist named Banksy. He first started this work in London in 2002. Many people in the United Kingdom love this art. A 2017 Samsung poll ranked it as the number one favorite artwork. The art has appeared in many places. Some murals were in Shoreditch or on the Waterloo Bridge. Even though many original sites are gone, the image remains famous.

Banksy uses different versions to share important messages. In 2005, he made a version called Balloon Debate. It showed a girl floating above a wall in the West Bank. In 2014, he changed the art to help people think about Syria. He added the hashtag #WithSyria to this new version. He even projected the image onto the Eiffel Tower. He also used a version with a Union Jack design during the 2017 UK election. He once offered free prints to certain voters. However, the Electoral Commission warned him about election laws. He had to cancel that special offer on June 6, 2017.

There are many ways to own this artwork. Banksy made several sets of limited edition prints. In 2003, he released a set of 25 signed prints. Later, he made a set of 150 signed prints. He also made 600 unsigned prints around 2004 and 2005. There were even special artist proofs with different colored hearts. These hearts came in blue, pink, gold, and purple. Some of these prints became very expensive. One purple print sold for £791,250 in September 2020.

A very strange thing happened at an auction in 2018. A framed copy of the art sold for £1,042,000 at Sotheby's. Right after the sale, the art began to destroy itself! Banksy had hidden a small paper shredder inside the bottom of the frame. The machine shredded the lower half of the picture. Banksy shared a video of this event on Instagram. He called the moment "Going, going gone..". Sotheby's said this was the first art ever created during a live auction.

This shredded piece was given a new name. It is now called Love Is in the Bin. The woman who bought the art kept it. This new version was later sold for £18 million in October 2021. Even though the art was changed, it became even more special. The art has also faced other news. In September 2024, a print worth £270,000 was stolen in London. Two men were charged, and the art was found again. The story of this balloon girl continues to surprise people.

Girl with Balloon is a famous series of stencil murals created by the graffiti artist Banksy. The artwork began in London in 2002. It depicts a young girl reaching toward a red, heart-shaped balloon. The wind appears to be carrying the balloon away from her hand. This simple image has become a powerful symbol in modern art. It is used to share messages about social issues and human emotions.

Banksy uses the motif of the girl and the balloon to support various social campaigns. In 2005, he created a variation called "Balloon Debate" on the West Bank barrier. This version showed the girl floating above a wall while holding many balloons. In 2014, he reworked the image to address the Syrian refugee crisis. He added the hashtag #WithSyria to this specific version. To mark the third anniversary of the Syrian conflict, he projected the image onto the Eiffel Tower and Nelson's Column.

The artist also used the image during the 2017 United Kingdom general election. He introduced a variant where the balloon featured a Union Jack design. Banksy initially offered free prints to registered voters in certain areas. He promised these prints to those who provided proof of voting against the Tories. However, he cancelled this offer on June 6, 2017. The Electoral Commission warned him that this might violate election bribery laws.

There are many different versions and physical forms of this work. Banksy produced several sets of limited edition prints over several years. In 2003, he released an initial set of 25 signed prints. During 2004 and 2005, he produced 150 signed prints and 600 unsigned prints. He also released artist proofs featuring hearts in blue, pink, gold, and purple. Some of these prints have reached very high prices. For example, a purple print sold for £791,250 in September 2020.

In 2017, the artwork's popularity was confirmed by a public poll. A Samsung poll of 2,000 people in the United Kingdom ranked it as the number one favorite artwork. The original murals appeared in several London locations. Some were found in Shoreditch and others on the South Bank near Waterloo Bridge. While many of these original street murals no longer exist, the image remains globally recognized.

A famous event occurred during a live auction at Sotheby's on October 5, 2018. A framed copy of the artwork sold for £1,042,000. Immediately after the sale, the artwork began to self-destruct. Banksy had hidden a mechanical paper shredder inside the bottom of the frame. The device shredded the lower half of the piece. Banksy released a video showing how the shredder was installed.

This event changed the nature of the artwork itself. Sotheby's called it the first work in history ever created during a live auction. The partially shredded piece was given a new name: "Love Is in the Bin." The person who won the auction decided to keep the altered work. This new version was eventually sold for £18 million in October 2021.

The history of the artwork includes other notable incidents. In 2004, a version of the mural was located at an east London shop in Shoreditch. This version was sold in 2007 for £37,200 and later sold for £500,000 in 2015. More recently, in September 2024, a print worth approximately £270,000 was stolen from the Grove Gallery in London. Two men were charged with the theft, and the artwork was later recovered. The story of Girl with Balloon continues to involve high values and unexpected turns.