The Frame – Art of the Nation

Street artist Banksy has been ranked ahead of the likes of Turner and Constable with his Balloon Girl ranked the nation’s favourite British artwork in a new study which shines a spotlight on our ever-changing tastes in art. The mysterious Bristol street artist, who makes witty and profound social statements with his infamous stencils, topped the list of artistic greats with his 2002 work, in a UK-wide survey to get a better picture of the art which makes us tick. Constable’s The Hay Wain, which hangs in the National Gallery, was second. The Frame National Art Audit tasked 2,000 British adults with voting for their favourite visual artworks from a shortlist drawn up by a panel of dedicated arts editors and writers*. The results see contemporary artists on a par with the old masters - pointing to an eclectic national taste that even allows for works which have been mass produced on an industrial scale. The heavily reproduced The Singing Butler by Jack V