Shocking moment thief breaks into London gallery and steals famous Banksy artwork

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A shocking video shows the moment a brazen thief managed to break into a London art gallery and steal a famous Banksy painting.

The artwork, Girl With Balloon, was the only item stolen from the Grove Gallery in New Cavendish Street on Sunday at around 11pm.

The video shows a thief hammering the window for around 30 seconds before managing to break the glass, allowing them to break through and seize the Banksy piece.

Larry Fraser, 47, and of Evelyn Denington Road in Beckton, and James Love, 53, and of Elvin Drive in North Stifford, were charged on Wednesday and remanded in custody by the Metropolitan Police.

According to court documents, the pair allegedly entered Grove Gallery as trespassers and stole “Girl With Balloon print to the value of £270,000”.

The Grove Gallery’s CEO, James Ryan said: "The swift action of the Flying Squad from the outset was incredible from start to finish, and I can’t thank them enough for every effort they have made. To say this theft was devastating and heartbreaking is an understatement.

“The Banksy works were on display to pay homage to an incredible artist and to allow everyone to enjoy them. To witness such a brazen theft, carried out on foot, was just shocking."

Girl With Balloon is a series of artworks, with the piece at the west London gallery one of multiple versions.

Another version of the painting hit the headlines in 2018 when it partially shredded itself at the conclusion of an auction in which it had been sold for £1.1 million.

The piece, Love Is In The Bin, was sold for £18,582,000 in London by auction house Sotheby’s in October 2021.

Earlier this summer, several artworks created by Banksy were moved into safekeeping after one was defaced and another was stolen just an hour after it appeared in Peckham.

His silhouette of a howling wolf on a satellite dish was taken soon after it was confirmed as authentic, while his silhouette of a rhino was defaced by a man wearing a black balaclava.

His piece at London Zoo, which shows a gorilla lifting up a shutter and allowing a number of birds and a seal to escape, was removed for “safekeeping” and replaced with a replica in August.