LONDON — Two men charged over the stealing of Banksy’s iconic work Girl With Balloon from a London gallery are due to appear in court next month on charges of non-residential burglary, NBC News reported.
The Heist
The painting was taken from the Grove Gallery on New Cavendish Street, Marylebone. Girl With Balloon was the only piece stolen, however it didn’t stay missing for long. The painting was recovered and two suspects were arrested by Thursday. On display at Grove Gallery in Banksy’s London Rebellion from August 21 to September 7, the exhibition showcased pieces by the reclusive street artist who goes by Banksy just a day before it was stolen. More than $2m of art was in the gallery at the time, according to the BBC.
The Crime and Arrests
Girl with Balloon is a $354,000 print according to court documents. CCTV images of the burglary depict a man wearing black trousers and a black hoodie, with his face concealed, using an unspecified heavy object to smash the glass front door of the gallery. He presses his shoulder into it over and over again, until he is able to squeeze through the broken glass. Upon getting in, he quickly takes the painting off of one of the walls as he leaves the gallery.
Girl With Balloon history
One of Banksy’s most iconic works, Girl With Balloon depicts a small girl in black and white, seemingly windswept meaning towards a bright red heart-shaped balloon. The painting is set inside a Baroque frame and the one auctioned at Sotheby’s in 2018 additional include hidden shredder that began to destroy painting right after it was sold for $1.4 million. The shredded piece, which subsequently was named Love is in the Bin, resold for a jaw-dropping $25.3 million in 2021 at Sotheby’s London.
More Recent Banksy Incidents
Banksy art has targeted by thieves before. But in similar places like Paris, a man got a two-year suspended sentence for trying to swipe a Banksy which had been stencilled on the back of parking sign near the Centre Pompidou earlier this year.
Banksy’s Recent Works
Banksy recently spent some of his summer stenciling London with animal images. For nine nights in a row, one stencil was revealed each night to an enchanting crowd. Public favorite: Piranha At only six months old, this hungry trio appear to be winning the public vote though — among the nine images, it is a fierce image of piranhas that leads consumer sentiment.
Feature Image Courtesy: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images
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