LONDON (AP) 鈥� Two men have been charged with burglary over the theft of an artwork by that was taken in a smash-and-grab raid on a London gallery.
The Metropolitan Police force said Friday that Larry Fraser, 47, and James Love, 53, are alleged to have taken 鈥淕irl with Balloon鈥� from the Grove Gallery on Sunday night.
The suspects appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates鈥� Court on Thursday and were ordered detained until their next hearing on Oct. 9.
Surveillance camera footage showed a masked man smashing a glass door before dashing in and taking the picture from a wall. Police said they have recovered the work, which is valued in court documents at 270,000 pounds ($355,000). Nothing else was reported stolen.
The stolen work is one of several versions of 鈥淕irl with Balloon,鈥� a stenciled image of a child reaching for a heart-shaped red balloon. Originally stenciled on a wall in east London, the picture has been endlessly reproduced, becoming one of Banksy鈥檚 best-known images.
Another version during a 2018 auction, passing through a shredder hidden in its frame just after it was purchased for 1.1 million pounds ($1.4 million) at Sotheby鈥檚.
The self-shredded work, retitled 鈥淟ove is in the Bin,鈥� ($25.4 million at the time) in 2021.
Gallery manager Lindor Mehmetaj said he was 鈥渉orrified and petrified鈥� by the theft and grateful to have the picture back.
鈥淲e are very lucky, but it is very unusual to have it recovered,鈥� he said, adding that the crime may have increased the work's value.
鈥淭ypically when fine art and masterpieces are stolen, the financial value can skyrocket," Mehmetaj said. 鈥淗opefully, it is going to be the same for this Banksy."
Bansky, who has never confirmed his full identity, began his career spray-painting buildings in Bristol, England, and has become one of the world鈥檚 best-known artists. His include two policemen kissing, armed riot police with yellow smiley faces and a chimpanzee with a sign bearing the words, 鈥淟augh now, but one day I鈥檒l be in charge.鈥�
His paintings and installations and have drawn and .
This summer a series of showed up around London. One of them, a howling wolf on a satellite dish, was removed by a masked man less than an hour after it was confirmed as authentic. An image of a gorilla at London Zoo and piranhas in a police sentry box in London鈥檚 financial district were both removed by the authorities for safekeeping.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
