Two men have been charged with burglary after a Banksy painting was stolen from a gallery in London, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, were charged with non-residential burglary and have been remanded in police custody.
The theft occurred on Sunday evening, around 11pm, at a gallery on New Cavendish Street in West London. The only item taken was Banksy’s Girl with Balloon, which has since been recovered and will be returned to the gallery.
Fraser, from Beckton, East London, and Love, from North Stifford, Essex, appeared in Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court where they were granted bail. They are due to appear at Kingston Crown Court on 9 October.
The Girl with Balloon painting gained worldwide attention in 2018 when it partially self-destructed after being sold at auction for £1.1 million. The canvas was shredded by a secret mechanism built into the frame, leaving just the top half intact and a solitary red balloon. This “self-shredded” artwork was later renamed Love Is In The Bin and sold for £18.5 million at Sotheby’s in October 2021.
This latest incident comes amid a series of recent thefts and defacements of Banksy’s works. Earlier this summer, several pieces from his animal-themed series were moved for safekeeping after one was defaced just hours after installation. Among the incidents were the theft of his howling wolf silhouette in Peckham and the defacement of a rhino artwork.
In August, another Banksy piece at London Zoo, featuring a gorilla lifting a shutter to free birds and a seal, was replaced with a replica for safety. Banksy’s piranhas in a police sentry box was also relocated to Guildhall Yard in a bid to protect the artwork.
The recovery of Girl with Balloon marks a significant victory for authorities as they continue their efforts to safeguard Banksy’s pieces from theft and damage.
