Hidden for years in his attic, and purchased by myself at a yard sale, Banksy's Pooh with Balloon (2005) was the first in his Balloon series, and was inspired by his childhood fascination for the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A.A. Milne.

The painting of Pooh with Balloon was followed by Girl with Balloon (2006), which famously became Love is in the Bin during auction at Sotheby's (London) in 2018. Originally selling for over 1 million British Pounds, it fetched 18.582 Million Pounds after being partially shredded by a device imbedded in the frame and activated after the initial sale.

Banksy experimented on Pooh with Balloon for his shredding stunt at Sotheby's. Sadly, Banksy lost interest in his balloon series after only two works.

This previously unknown gem is offered at the unheard of price of 10 million Pounds (converts to $200 Canadian at today's rate).Oru

$25,000,000

Banksy

2005

Originally I had thought to forge a Kadinski, known for his geometric shapes and the use of his internal experience as inspiration. Sadly, my internal experience isn't particularly geometric. On further consideration, I've always been delighted by Banksy's willingness to destroy one of his paintings as a way of essentially thumbing his nose at art collectors, particularly those who spend a lot of money on questionable art. And I wanted to use humor myself, in the form of Winnie-the-Pooh as an alternate subject. Hence "Pooh with Balloon"! Enjoy :)

Acrylic on Canvas, framed