Bristol street artist’s Girl with Balloon, originally stencil on side of bridge, beats Constable idyll in poll of nation’s best-loved art An image of a little girl sadly watching her heart-shaped red balloon drift away, originally a stencil on a grimy wall by Banksy, has toppled Constable’s Hay Wain as the nation’s best-loved work of art. The most famous version of Girl with Balloon, by the Bristol-born street artist, appeared on the side of a bridge on the South Bank in London in 2002. It is now ubiquitous, available as prints, greeting cards and mugs, as an instant street artist kit in a precut stencil marketed by a firm in the US, and as a recent addition to the impressive collection of tattoos almost covering the skin of pop star Justin Bieber.   Another version in the East End was among several Banksys which sparked outrage when the new owners of the building proposed to peel it off the wall and send it to auction. A miniature version, painted on the cardboard backing of a cheap picture frame, sold in 2012 for more than £73,000. [Read More…] Those 2012 prices are now probably tripled so we are looking at very steep prices for even an unsigned print of the Girl With The Balloon.

Like Banksy? Check out these hot emerging artists

If you like Banksy but think his astronomic prices might have become be a tad steep you might find solace in knowing there are some younger artists following his trail who have received great response by public and media alike and are showing great signs.

1. Van Donna

1. Van Donna = Van Gogh + Madonna. Both are the artist’s personal heroes and inspiration.
2. An active philanthropist, the artist was selected to donate an original painting sold at the Terrence Higgins Trust annual charitable auction.
3. She saw her debut at auctions in Christies’s London successfully selling an original paintings for several thousands of pounds.
4. A selection of her artworks was added to the permanent collection of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg and the Freud Museum in London.  Van Donna’s works have been exhibited in sold-out shows in NYC, Dubai and Riyadh in the show “Riyadh Underground” created by members of the Saudi Royal Family.
5. Van Donna counts in celebrity fans like Ringo Starr who picked “All You Need Is Love” as his favourite of her artworks. Top Warhol, Banksy Rothko collectors, global top 500 CEO’s, Royal Families and Heads Of State as well as many celebrities are adding Van Donna artworks to their collections.
6. British artist Van Donna recently made the news after the Daily Mail reported that Prince Harry added her diptych ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ to his own collection, presumably as a love gift for his now bride-to-be Meghan Markle.

RECOMMENDED ARTWORKS BY VAN DONNA