Two men have been charged with burglary after a Banksy painting entitled ‘Girl with balloon’ was nicked.
Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, allegedly orchestrated a heist to snatch the painting from a gallery in New Cavendish Street, London, at around 11pm on Sunday, September 8.
Following an investigation by detectives from the Met’s Flying Squad, both appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, September 12, where they were bailed to next appear at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, October 9.
A Banksy painting entitled ‘Girl with balloon’ was the only item stolen. This has now been recovered and will be returned to the gallery.
(Image: PA)
Last month, art by the Bristol-based creator popped up all over London in the space of eight days, with one new piece appearing every day from August 5.
The artist confirmed the works were his when he began to upload photos of artwork depicting different types of animals to his Instagram.
One of the pieces, Howling Wolf, was seen being taken by two men with a ladder within hours of being revealed. Videos show one of the men running down the street of Peckham with the piece, stencilled onto a satellite dish.
(Image: Getty Images)
“As with any artwork, it is worth what someone will pay for it, but offered on the black market it holds no intrinsic value,” Joe Syer, cofounder of art dealership MyArtBroker and an expert in Banksy’s work, told Fortune.
But experts reckon it will be hard for the crooks to shift the piece as it is “certainly a hot or marked artwork now that no reputable dealer or gallerist would go near,” said Ben Cotton, director of Hang-Up Gallery in London, which specialises in Banksy’s work.
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