LGDR will feature two exceptional paintings by Banksy, Flower Thrower and Girl with Balloon, in its inaugural booth at Art Basel Hong Kong 2022 that'll be held from May 27 to 29.
Acquired in 2006 by the current collector, both works are among Banksy’s most recognisable compositions. Embodying the artist’s creations, Flower Thrower and Girl with Balloon are emblematic of Banksy’s imagery, which has become social and cultural phenomena.
Brett Gorvy, Founder and Partner of LGDR, says, “Graffiti artist, street poet, and social disrupter, the anonymous artist known as Banksy has been voted the most important cultural figure of our generation. His images, which are both poetically and politically charged, display the playful innocence and provocative nature that cleverly intertwines into the artist’s signature vision.”
Initially realised at various locations in London, the Flower Thrower image came to widespread public attention in 2003 after appearing as a large mural on the side of a garage in Beit Sahour, a Palestinian town near Bethlehem, amid heated debates surrounding the West Bank wall, the barrier along the border of Israel and Palestine. The work portrays a masked figure poised in a stance indicative of protest, leaning back as if to throw an explosive towards an unseen target.
Comprising two canvases representing the stenciled image of a small child reaching out towards a bright red, heart-shaped balloon, Girl with Balloon’s central motif offers an emotive vision of innocence and hope. A recurring theme across Banksy’s oeuvre, Girl with Balloon is not a fixed entity but rather a constantly evolving performance that has a collective dimension, interpreted in manifold and divergent ways. Keeping with Banksy’s integral work as a street artist, the image has appeared throughout London, including on the wall of a print shop in Shoreditch and on Waterloo Bridge in Southbank.
View the two iconic works at Booth 1C14 in the upcoming Art Basel Hong Kong 2022.
