Banksy print makes more than a Picasso at auction

Balloon Girl has been sold for more than £56,250 at auction. Credit: Banksy

A print of a girl holding a balloon by Bristol artist Banksy has sold for £56,250 - twice the expected price and more than a Picasso.

Balloon Girl is one of the artist's best-known pieces and he released 150 prints of it in 2004.

Number 94 of 150 was auctioned by Bonhams on Tuesday at its Prints and Multiples sale in London.

The auction house, which described it as "one of Banksy's most popular and enduring images", gave it an estimate of £25,000.

A fierce bidding war resulted in a telephone buyer paying £56,250 for the piece, which was signed by Banksy and supplied with a certificate of authenticity issued by Pest Control Office.

This was more than twice the £25,000 paid for a Picasso in the same sale, despite 'Tete de Femme' piece being one of just five and particularly sought after by collectors.

There were five separate Banksy pieces auctioned off with works by the mysterious Bristolian fetching a total of £113,750.