Banksy’s iconic ‘Girl with Balloon’ masterpiece ‘stolen’ from London gallery in art heist: Two men appear in court charged with burglary
One of Banksy’s most iconic works, Girl with Balloon, has been stolen from a London gallery. Two men have been charged with burglary.
The work, valued at £200,000, was stolen in a robbery at the Grove Gallery last weekend. Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, were arrested following a police investigation.
The girl with the balloon was found after investigation by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad. The girl with the balloon will be returned.
Fraser, from Beckton, East London, and Love, from North Stifford, Essex, were charged with burglary of a non-dwelling property on Thursday, September 11, and remanded in custody by police.
Both appeared at Wimbledon District Court on Thursday, September 12, where they were bailed to appear at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, October 9.
Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, have been charged with burglary after Banksy’s Girl with Balloon (pictured) was stolen from a London gallery on New Cavendish Street
The work, estimated to be worth up to £200,000, is one of the street artist’s most iconic works
It was taken during a raid on the Grove Gallery, in New Cavendish Street, on Sunday, which saw the glass entrance to the site smashed
The investigation was launched following a burglary at the New Cavendish Street location at around 11pm on Sunday 8 September.
The gallery was hosting a Banksy exhibition titled ‘Breakout: Banksy’s London Rebellion’, which ended on Saturday.
Girl with Balloon appeared alongside other well-known Banksy works, including Pulp Fiction and Monkey Queen.
The glass entrance doors of Grove were smashed during the burglary.
A statement from the Met Police revealed that Banksy’s Girl with Balloon was the only item stolen. It has since been recovered and will be returned to the gallery.
The work, which depicts a young girl with black graffiti who has just released a red heart-shaped balloon, is one of the street artist’s most recognizable works.
It was first seen in 2002 on the South Bank of Waterloo, next to the quote: ‘There is always hope.’
It follows a series of Banksy paintings appearing in the capital, several of which were damaged last summer.
A mural – showing two elephants poking their heads out of a white window – was unveiled in Chelsea, London, a week ago but has already been vandalised with grey stripes.
The painting, located in Edith Grove, was the second of nine animal-themed artworks on display in the capital.
Girl with balloon, seen in packaging marked ‘police evidence’, was found by detectives from the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad and is expected to be returned
Grove Gallery hosted a Banksy exhibition, titled ‘Breakout: Banksy’s London Rebellion’, which ended on Saturday
Girl with Balloon appeared alongside other notable Banksy works, including Monkey Queen (print shown)
Banksy’s rhino mural in Charlton was also vandalised with spray paint in August, while the artist’s lone wolf mysteriously disappeared from a satellite dish in Peckham.
Footage has emerged showing the shocking moment the artwork is dismantled and then taken away.
A group of men wearing hoods, face masks and gloves were spotted climbing the building, removing the satellite dish and running away.
A spokesperson for Banksy previously said the artist had nothing to do with the theft of the wolf artwork and did not condone the theft, and they also had “no knowledge of the current whereabouts of the law.”