[Image: Instagram]
A Banksy painting that has never been seen until now is about to go to auction with the hefty price tag of $18 million (almost R300 million).
The artwork is titled “Girl and Balloon on Found Landscape”, and it will go under the hammer at an invitation-only sale in New York on 20 May, after making its public debut inside Tiffany & Co.’s iconic Fifth Avenue flagship store, The Landmark.
What’s so special about this piece is that it is a combination of two of his most famous signatures in one artwork, namely his beloved Girl with Balloon motif and his ultra-rare Crude Oil series, both of which are considered some of his most desirable creations. If it sells for the predicted price, it will be the highest ever bid placed on a Banksy at an auction.
The sale is being conducted by Fair Warning, the boutique auction platform founded by high-profile art dealer Loïc Gouzer. He said, “Banksy is the most consequential artist of our time. He is the one from this generation most likely to break into the $100 million tier. He is an outsider – not a product of the art world – and that is precisely why the establishment has never fully embraced him”. In fact, after years of speculation and uncertainty, his identity was only recently revealed.
Banksy’s “Girl with Balloon” image first appeared as graffiti in London in 2002 before becoming one of the most recognisable artworks on the planet. By 2017, it had been voted Britain’s favourite artwork, beating out some of the notable fine artists produced in the country over several centuries.
A stunt that took place the following year is what turned this famed image into global folklore. When a framed version of “Girl with Balloon” sold at auction in London, the artwork famously self-destructed moments later through a hidden shredder concealed inside the frame. The shredded piece was later renamed “Love is in the Bin” and sold for $25.4 million (R421 million) in 2021.
Now, experts believe that “Girl and Balloon on Found Landscape” will be Banksy’s next landmark work, with Gouzer calling it “the Mona Lisa of his oeuvre”. He added, “It’s simple, direct, universally legible. An image that distils the mythology of the artist into a single unforgettable icon”.
The painting was created in 2012 and was entrusted to Danny Comden, Banksy’s longtime West Coast associate known for quietly placing the artist’s works into elite private collections around the world. Now consigned by an unnamed collector, the painting is expected to draw fierce competition from billionaire buyers across the US, Europe and the Middle East.
What is expected to be a dramatic auction will take place on the 10th floor of Tiffany’s Manhattan flagship and will be led by legendary auctioneer Jussi Pylkkänen, with bids accepted in person, by phone, and through Fair Warning’s app. Right now, all eyes are on Banksy and whether his latest masterpiece can smash through the art market’s ultimate barrier.
[Source: Daily Mail]
