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Retrospective

Winter Archive Selections

An archive-led retrospective selection from prior exhibition programs.

Key facts

Dates: 12 September 2025 – 21 November 2025
Venue: Archive Room, London (Primary)

Artists

No artists assigned.

RSVP / Book appointment

Curatorial notes

Winter Archive Selections revisits important works and curatorial themes from recent seasons.

Event schedule

Archived program concluded
Digital catalog available

Spring Dialogues

@optimacontemporary

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$In the early 2000s, £75 could buy you an unsigned Girl with Balloon. For around £150, you could own a signed example. Two decades later, Matthew Perry’s Girl with Balloon diptych achieved $1.19 million at Heritage Auctions when it was offered from the actor’s estate, with proceeds benefiting the Matthew Perry Foundation. While not the same work, comparable Girl with Balloon canvases and diptychs were originally released at a fraction of today’s values, illustrating the extraordinary rise of Banksy’s market over the past two decades. Now recognised as one of the most iconic images in contemporary art, Girl with Balloon was voted the UK’s favourite artwork in 2017. Two decades later, it remains one of the defining symbols of the contemporary art market. #Banksy #GirlWithBalloon #ContemporaryArt #ArtMarket #ArtCollector$

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