How low can you go? Art thieves have made off with a Banksy wall mural in Paris that was painted as a memorial to the 2015 Bataclan Paris terror attack victims.
It was a generous gesture to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack – Paris’ Mayor
The iconic artwork was taken from an emergency exit door located at the Bataclan theatre where 90 people were killed when Islamic extremists burst into the packed venue in the French capital.
François Vauglin, The mayor of Paris’ 11th district, told French media site LCI: “This silhouette was made by the artist for free. “It was a generous gesture to pay tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack and their loved ones, and I find it very sad that people have grabbed it without thinking about it all represents.’ Police made public the theft in hopes that it will be returned. A police source stated: ‘In the night from Friday to Saturday, hooded villains broke in to steal the work before taking it to a truck.’
The artwork appeared last June and depicted a veiled weeping figure of a woman. The Paris atrocity took place when gun-wielding men entered the theatre during a capacity filled ‘Eagles of Death Metal’ concert in November 2015. More than 100 people were killed across Paris, on the same night most of them at Bataclan and another 400 or so were injured, 100 of those seriously. Other sites were also targeted including near the Stade de France while France was playing a friendly against Germany. France was already on high alert after terror attacks at the Charlie Hebdo Magazine earlier in January 2015.
Banksy is an anonymous graffiti artist from Bristol, who uses subversive epigrams and dark humour to provide political and social commentary on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. Banksy’s work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy authentication and artist enquiries or reports of stolen work should be directed to Pest Control
This is a well-documented piece of valuable Street Art which will garner zero commercial interest from the art world. If you have any information about the whereabouts of the mural contact Pest Control.