Two men have been arrested and charged with burglary after the “Girl with Balloon” artwork was stolen from a London gallery during a smash-and-grab raid.
Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, are currently in police custody following the incident at the Grove Gallery that occurred around 11 p.m. on Sunday night, according to the Metropolitan Police.
“A Banksy painting entitled ‘Girl with Balloon’ was the only item stolen. This has now been recovered and will be returned to the gallery,” police said in a statement.
Surveillance camera footage captured a masked individual smashing a glass door before entering the gallery and removing the painting from the wall. The artwork, one of several versions of a stenciled image of a child reaching for a heart-shaped red balloon, is valued at $355,000, according to The Associated Press.
Originally stenciled on a wall, the image has been widely reproduced, becoming one of Banksy’s most recognizable works.
Another version of the artwork partially self-destructed during a 2018 auction, passing through a shredder hidden in its frame immediately after being sold for $1.4 million at Sotheby’s. The self-shredded piece, renamed “Love is in the Bin,” was sold for $25.4 million in 2021, according to the AP.
Bansky, whose full identity remains unknown, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the world’s most celebrated artists. Both suspects appeared in court on Thursday and will make another appearance on October 9.