Two charged with stealing Banksy artwork 'Girl with a Balloon' from London gallery

Pair accused of taking work from the Arise show

Two people have been charged with stealing a Banksy artwork worth hundreds of thousands of pounds from a London gallery.

The framed artwork, called Girl with a Balloon, was taken from the Arise show at Lazarides gallery in Cork Street, in central London, on Friday 6 January.

Charges and next steps

A 34-year-old man and a 49-year-old woman have both been charged with theft and are due to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court today (Friday, 13 January).

According to the BBC, the artwork has not yet been recovered.

The gallery said in a statement: “This is a complex and sensitive case and we are working closely with the police as the investigation continues.”

Girl with a Balloon is a limited edition print of Banksy’s iconic 2002 mural, which depicts a young girl reaching out for a heart-shaped balloon.

The original mural was painted on a wall in Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, London, and became one of the artist’s most recognisable works.

In 2018, a framed and signed version of the print was sold at auction for £1.4 million.

Banksy is a pseudonymous Bristol-based street artist, political activist, film director, and painter whose satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique.