Stolen Banksy 'Girl with Balloon' painting found

LONDON: One of British street artist Banksy’s best-known paintings, “Girl with Balloon”, has been found after its theft from a London gallery last week with two men charged, police said.

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.

After the robbery when authorities examined CCTV footage, they found a man covered his face with a hoodie shattered the glass door of Fitzrovia’s Grove Gallery – an art gallery located in London – and stole Banksy’s iconic artwork ‘Girl with Balloon’ which was captured on CCTV footage.

As per the CCTV footage, the thief smashed the door for about 30 seconds before breaking inside at 11 pm on Sunday before taking away the artwork with him. The £270,000 piece was part of an exhibition featuring a £1.5 million collection of Banksy works, which was nearing its end.

Grove Gallery’s manager, Lindor Mehmetaj, was horrified to find the gallery’s front door smashed on Monday morning and the artwork missing. An investigation was launched and referred to the Metropolitan Police’s Flying Squad, known for handling serious crimes.

The two accused 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 neighbourhood 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.