Two individuals have been charged with burglary in connection with the theft of a Banksy artwork known as “Girl with Balloon” from a gallery in London. The two suspects, Larry Fraser and James Love, allegedly took the artwork during a smash-and-grab incident at the Grove Gallery on Sunday night. Surveillance footage captured a masked individual breaking a glass door and swiftly removing the picture from the wall. The stolen artwork, valued at 270,000 pounds ($355,000), was recovered by the police, with no other items reported missing.
Fraser and Love appeared before Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court and have been remanded in custody until their next hearing scheduled for Oct. 9. “Girl with Balloon” is a famous stencil image by Banksy depicting a child reaching for a heart-shaped red balloon. Despite the theft, this particular artwork is just one of several versions created by the elusive street artist. In a separate incident in 2018, another version of the artwork famously self-destructed through a shredder concealed within its frame shortly after being auctioned at Sotheby’s.
The shredded artwork was then renamed “Love is in the Bin” and later fetched a staggering 18.6 million pounds ($25.4 million) in a subsequent sale in 2021. Banksy, whose true identity remains unknown, gained notoriety for his provocative and often satirical artwork, which includes pieces like two kissing policemen, riot police with smiling faces, and a chimpanzee holding a sign that reads, “Laugh now, but one day I’ll be in charge.” His works command high prices at auction but have also attracted theft and vandalism in the past.
Recently, a series of animal-themed stencils attributed to Banksy appeared across London. However, one of the pieces—a howling wolf on a satellite dish—was swiftly removed by a masked individual shortly after its authenticity was confirmed. Additionally, images of a gorilla at London Zoo and piranhas in a police sentry box in the city’s financial district were taken down by authorities for safekeeping.
