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Banksy’s iconic artwork was stolen from a London gallery by two men, who are now charged with burglary
LONDON, United Kingdom — One of British street artist Banksy’s best-known paintings, Girl with Balloon, was found after its theft from a London gallery last week, with two men charged, police said on Friday, September 13.
The work features a young girl reaching for a red heart-shaped balloon and there are several murals depicting the same image in London and elsewhere.
The painting was the only item stolen on September 8, police said, adding it would be returned to the gallery.
The two men, aged 47 and 53, were charged with burglary on Thursday and remain in police custody.
They have already appeared in court where they were bailed, and will next appear before a judge on October 9.
The Girl with Balloon first appeared on the streets of London’s Shoreditch neighborhood in 2002, with Banksy creating versions of the painting on London’s South Bank in 2004 and at Israel’s barrier at the West Bank in 2005.
Banksy rose to fame for sharply ironic outdoor graffiti with political themes. Once a small-time graffiti artist from the English city of Bristol, his art work has become hugely popular and valuable. —Rappler.com
