Balloon Girl

Banksy’s works sell for seven figure sums despite essentially being graffiti – and still very few people knowing who he is.

But there’s no doubt he deserves to be in the top 10.

Other contemporary artists, such as Damien Hirst or Tracey Emin, are less popular – but Banksy’s air of mystery and his gift for storytelling are exactly what draws us to him.

He does as artists have for centuries, using people as icons – like the little girl in this 2002 mural. She is innocence and hope, but in the balloon we see that all slip through her fingers.

His message is what makes it all so modern and meaningful.