Banksy’s ‘Girl With Balloon’ Recovered After Burglary, Two Men Charged
Two men have been charged with burglary following the theft of Banksy’s iconic “Girl With Balloon” painting from a London gallery, Sky News reports.
Larry Fraser, 47, from Beckton, east London, and James Love, 53, from North Stifford, Essex, appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on Thursday, facing charges of non-residential burglary. They were released on bail and are due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on October 9.
The painting, one of Banksy’s most recognizable works, was stolen from the Grove Gallery on New Cavendish Street in London on Sunday, September 8, around 11pm. Court documents reveal the print was valued at £270,000.
Following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad, the painting has been recovered and will be returned to the gallery.
The arrest and recovery of the stolen artwork comes amidst an unprecedented summer of Banksy activity in London. The street artist unveiled nine new works in nine consecutive days, surprising the city with a series of animal-themed creations.
While Banksy typically works in a more sporadic manner, the rapid pace of these new pieces generated significant buzz. However, the fourth piece in the series, a howling wolf silhouette on a satellite dish, was stolen within hours of its appearance in Peckham, southeast London.
The last of the nine works, a gorilla painted onto a shutter at London Zoo, was removed by zoo staff for safekeeping.
