Banksy's Moss tops recognition poll

7:08pm Saturday 20th September 2008

A Banksy painting of Kate Moss is more recognisable than the Mona Lisa, according to a new poll.

The poll asked members of the public to name the subjects in famous works of art.

The survey found that while 63% of respondents were able to identify an image of the supermodel by the artist Banksy, just 6% could name than the enigmatic subject of Leonardo's masterpiece.

Surprisingly, Michelangelo's David and Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait were also more recognisable to the public than the Mona Lisa, with 24% and 7% respectively.

The poll, by art sellers Buy Art Fair, also found that consumers were moving away from buying traditional fine art for their home, with 74% of those surveyed admitting they would prefer to invest in a more contemporary piece.

Just 12% of respondents were able to correctly name van Gogh as the artist who created the famous Sunflower image, but 64% of people asked were able to identify Tracey Emin as the artist who created the controversial Turner Prize-winning piece My Bed.

And despite the well-documented consumer downturn, only 8% of the 1,000 people who took part in the survey said that the return on investment would be their motivating factor for buying a painting. A much larger 58% said they would purchase a painting for the image alone.

Vaughan Allen, co-organiser of the Buy Art Fair event said: "The results are not surprising. One of the biggest barriers to art is the way in which up until recently it has been presented and sold.

"More and more people are choosing to purchase contemporary pieces of art over the more traditional paintings but not for investment purposes.

"People are buying art from the heart, which is so important when choosing art for your home, as it will be displayed there for many years. It is therefore vital that the buyer enjoys the piece."