LONDON, Sept 13 (Askume) – British street artist Banksy’s most famous painting, “Girl with Balloon”, has been recovered after it was stolen from a London gallery last week, police said on Friday.
The artwork depicts a little girl holding a red heart-shaped balloon, and there are a number of murals depicting the same image in London and elsewhere.
Police said the painting was the only item stolen on September 8 and would be returned to the gallery.
Two men, aged 47 and 53, were charged with the theft on Thursday and are in police custody.
He appeared in court and was granted bail, with his next court appearance scheduled for October 9.
Girl with Balloon first appeared on the streets of London’s Shoreditch area in 2002, and Banksy created versions of the painting on London’s South Bank in 2004 and on the Israeli Separation Wall in the West Bank in 2005.
Banksy is known for his outdoor graffiti that sharply satirizes political topics. Once a niche graffiti artist in the UK city of Bristol, his work has become extremely popular and valuable.
