Balloon Girl, 2024

by Mr Brainwash

Painting : acrylic, Stencil, mixed media 76.2 x 55.9 cm 30 x 22 inch

€12,500

Make an offer

LOADING NOT DISPLAYED BLUR TEXT
Second NOT DISPLAYED BLUR TEXT
Have a question? Ask a specialist

Free returns within 14 days

Authenticity guaranteed

Learn more
Paypal American Express Visa Mastercard

Verified Reviews

9.6/10

About the artwork

Type

Unique work

Signature

Hand-signed by artist

Authenticity

Sold with certificate of Authenticity from the artist

Invoice from the gallery


Medium

Painting: acrylic, Stencil, mixed media

Dimensions cm inch

76.2 x 55.9 cm 30 x 22 inch Height x Width x Depth

Framing

Not framed


Tags

Street art

Pop Art

Balloons

Banksy

Graffiti

Young girl

Black

Dark blue

Artwork sold in perfect condition

Artwork location: Germany

The artwork Balloon Girl by Mr. Brainwash (Thierry Guetta) goes back to a work of his mentor with whom he also made his documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop". Girl with Balloon (also known as Balloon Girl or Girl and Balloon) is a London series of stencil paintings by graffiti artist Banksy, begun in 2002. It shows a young girl with outstretched hand pointing to a red heart-shaped balloon carried away by the wind. The first work was on Waterloo Bridge, and there were other murals around London, none of which have survived. Banksy has used variations of this design on several occasions to support social campaigns: in 2005 on the barrier in the West Bank, in 2014 on the Syrian refugee crisis, and also on the elections in Britain in 2017. In a Samsung survey in 2017, Girl with Balloon was rated the most popular artwork in the United Kingdom.

In 2018, a framed copy of the work was spontaneously shredded during an auction using a mechanical device hidden in the frame. The artist certified that he was responsible for the shredding and gave the altered work a new name: Love is in the Bin. Sotheby said it was “the first work in history ever created during a live auction.

Mr. Brainwash always refers to his mentor's artwork and interprets it in his own way. The original white background in Mr. Brainwash's work is typically colorful with collages, silkscreens, stencils, and comic books. The cheerful and light-hearted is thus made even more apparent, true to Mr. Brainwash's motto: “Life is Beautiful" or “Follow Your Dreams".

Hardly any other street art artist has experienced such a rapid rise as the Frenchman Thierry Guetta aka Mr. Brainwash, born 1966 in Garges-lès-Gonesse. His path to becoming the most successful artist of recent years is closely linked to the name Banksy and his Oscar-winning film Exit Through the Gift Shop: In this documentary Banksy encourages the then still unknown Guetta to become active as an artist himself under the pseudonym Mr. Brainwash. The rumor persists that the Frenchman Brainwash is a purely fictional person invented by Banksy and that his works are actually created by Banksy.

On Thursday, October 14, 2021, the Banksy Balloon Girl was sold again at Sothebys in London in auction during FRIEZE Week under the new title “Love is in the Bin." On the exciting evening, Sotheby's returned with a record-breaking Contemporary Art Evening Sale at the New Bond Street Auction with attendance. The centerpiece was the dramatic sale of Banksy's infamous work “Love is in the Bin," which broke all records with a hammer price of £18,582,000. And so the work, half-destroyed by Banksy, was now sold by its owner, entirely in accordance with the rules of speculation, for 16 million pounds plus a premium, a mere three years after the last purchase. The million from 2018 was well invested. This example shows perfectly that the art market is no longer about art, but about investment.

The film about Mr. Brainwash and Banksy, which won numerous awards, resulted in sold-out Mr. Brainwash shows and exhibitions worldwide. In winter 2023 / 2024 FRANK FLUEGEL GALERIE shows new unique artworks and paintings by Mr. Brainwash in Kitzbuehel / Austria like every year.

Read more

About the seller

FRANK FLUEGEL GALERIE • Germany

Artsper seller since 2014

Vetted Seller

The Top Seller badge Top Seller

This seller rewards your purchases of multiple artworks


Collector’s Guide

Imagine it at home

Mr Brainwash, Balloon Girl
Mr Brainwash

Mr Brainwash

United States  • 1966

Bestsellers Masterpieces

Mr Brainwash, the pseudonym for Thierry Guetta was born near Paris, in Sarcelles in 1966. At the age of 15, he moved to Los Angeles with his father, brothers, and sisters after their mother passed away. A video maker and pop art artist, his works are mostly in stencil or graffiti.

He took lessons at Fairfax High school for about a year but dropped out of high school to organize Hollywood events. The artist began selling vintage clothes in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami.

Mr Brainwash had a ticking in 1999 for street art, during a trip to France to visit his cousin, Space Invader, a Parisian street artist. He has a passion for video and therefore began filming all the breaks, accompanied by other street artists, like Shepard Fairey or Wevs. At this moment, the videos weren't meant to be seen. He began graffiti and became Mr Brainwash. His universe is made up of Banksy's stencils and images of Andy Warhol.

In 2009, he met the British artist Banksy and helps him launch his exhibition: Barely Legal in Los Angeles, this event attracted celebrities and art dealers. The two artists decided to realize a documentary on the world of street artists, which was a mystery up till now. The images which were shot before were then shown along with Invader, Banksy, and Mr Brainwash.

Due to this collaboration, the doc-fiction “Exit Through the Gift Shop" (ou Faites le Mur !) was born, nominated for an Oscar, presented in 2010 at the Sundance Film Festival. The film presents the meteoric rise of Mr. Brainwash on the street art scene, and his works being sold for phenomenal sums, like his Jim Morrison portrait sold for 100 000 $ or Charlie Chaplin for 50 000 $. After the movie's success, Mr Brainwash's work becomes much more popular.

But the story can be seen the other way around. It was shown that Mr Brainwash isn't a fictitious character, he did put together the movie. The fiction caught up with reality, making Mr Brainwash a true actor in the art industry.


Read more
Need help?

How does Artsper protect you?

Protect your purchase

We’re here to help you collect art securely. When you browse and buy on Artsper, you benefit from our guaranteed protections.

Buy works from the best galleries

We partner with the best art galleries. All sellers on Artsper have been carefully reviewed and approved by our team. All of our partner galleries respect our code of ethics.

Know what you’re getting

Each work on Artsper is studied and validated by our team before appearing online. Get personalized support Contemporary art specialists are available by phone and email to answer all of your questions about our works of art. Get personalized advice and curated suggestions for your collection.

Resell your artworks

As a private individual, you have the possibility to resell on Artsper your works acquired on Artsper. For more information click here.

 

Make an offer with Artsper

Negotiate prices

Price negotiation is possible. Like in a gallery, this allows you to open a discussion and purchase your works at your preferred price.

Get our help negotiating

Let our team handle the negotiations and get back to you once the best deal is made.

 

Order safely

Artsper’s satisfaction guarantee

With Artsper, you have the opportunity to return a work free of charge within 14 days of receipt if it does not suit you, for whatever reason. You will then receive a full refund for your order.

Protect your purchase with Artsper’s payment partners

All credit card payments are processed by Paybox, the trusted leader in payment processing for international businesses. Paybox ensures the highest level of security.

Get specialized support from Artsper in the event of a problem

On the rare occasion that a work of art arrives in a different condition than described, we will work to administer a return, refund, restoration or exchange for you. Our team will always keep you informed on the progress of your request and will go above and beyond to offer you personalized solutions.

To benefit from Artsper’s protections you must:

  • Place your order using one of Artsper's payment methods.

  • Report any issues to Artsper within one week of receiving your work.

  • Provide all requested photographic evidence of the problem (including the original artwork and packaging).

Artsper’s guarantee covers the following problems:

  • You receive a work that’s missing a described characteristic (such as a signature or a frame)

  • You receive a work with different characteristics than those described at the time of purchase

  • You receive a damaged piece of work

  • Your purchase is declared lost or damaged during transit

  • You receive a work that is a different in color than what you ordered

  • Your purchase is delayed

Why buy on Artsper?

Artsper gives you access to the largest catalog of contemporary artworks, from the best galleries (200,000 works, 25,000 artists, 2,000 partner galleries).

We select the galleries with which we collaborate. This demanding selection, operated by our team of experts, offers you several guarantees:

  • Double expertise regarding the quality and originality of the works. On the one hand by professional galleries that select their artists and works. On the other hand by Artsper which selects its partner galleries according to the quality of their catalog and their reputation.
  • Access to the entire catalog of works from our partner galleries, sold at the same price as in the gallery.
  • The possibility of returning purchased works (within 14 days) if they do not suit you, wherever you are in the world. Which is not the case outside Artsper.
  • The possibility of easily reselling the work you purchased on Artsper.

We also facilitate the search for works according to your preferences thanks to our intelligent features such as:

Or simply thanks to our filters on the catalog allowing you to refine your searches.

Our customer service is also at your service and responds within the shortest time!

Can I negotiate the price of an artwork?

For some artworks, you can negotiate the price. If the price of the work is negotiable, you have a “Make an offer” button under the “Buy this work” one.

To submit your offer, you must make a payment of the desired amount. Your offer will then be forwarded to the gallery, which reserves the right to accept or reject it. If your offer is accepted, it means that your order is confirmed by the gallery and they will prepare the artwork for shipment. If your offer is rejected, you will be refunded the total amount paid automatically. The gallery can also propose a counter-offer for the acquisition of the artwork.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us: [email protected].

Where can I have my order delivered?

Artsper delivers worldwide!

However, please note that once your order reaches its destination, it may be subject to VAT or other customs fees. These charges are beyond our control and you will be responsible for paying them (this is indicated at the ‘checkout’ first step).

Select the delivery address of your choice. Please make sure that someone is present to receive your order.

If your billing address is different to your delivery address you can specify this at the checkout.

 

Why do I have to pay customs fees?

Return and cancellation

You can return the artwork without needing to provide a reason or pay a penalty fee up to 14 days after receiving your order.

In the case that the right of withdrawal is exercised in the aforementioned time frame, the price of the artwork(s) purchased and the shipping costs will be reimbursed by us as soon as the gallery has received the artwork and notified us.

Artsper will manage the return of the work and will bear the cost of returns (which will either be paid by you and refunded by Artsper or directly paid by Artsper).

The artwork must be returned in perfect condition and in its original packaging (or equivalent).

The buyer exercises his right of withdrawal directly from MUMART, by sending an email to the address: [email protected].

How can I best showcase my work?

If you have bought a painting, a sculpture or a work on paper, find expert advice on its conservation and how to best enhace it:

Go to the orders tab in my purchases to benefit from the exceptional discounts negotiated for you with our framing, pedestal and lighting partners...