Paris: a man tried for the theft in the middle of the street of a work by Banksy near the Center Pompidou

There are a lot of rats in the capital, but this one was of exceptional value. This Monday, June 10, 2024, the trial of a man for the theft of a work by Banksy begins before the Paris Criminal Court. Here near the Pompidou centerthe stencil representing a small rodent had mysteriously disappeared.

Saw cut

It was on the night of September 3, 2019 that strange noises were heard in the Beaubourg district. Intrigued, a local resident, wanting to know what was happening, saw and filmed a man cutting a panel with a saw. The latter then fled in a van.

This attack on street furniture is not due to chance. On the sign, located rue Rambuteau, was a work of street art, representing a rat with its face hidden by a bandana and holding a pencil. The stencil, attributed to the famous graffiti artist Banksy, was covered with a Plexiglas plate by the Center Pompidou.

A request from Banksy himself?

An investigation is then opened for damage. In March 2020, a man was finally arrested. Originally from Épinay-sur-Seine in Seine-Saint-Denis, the individual recognizes the facts. To the great astonishment of investigators, he explains that it was Banksy himself who ordered the theft of his work. The suspect is then indicted.

An artist with sometimes stolen works

Having never revealed his identity, Banksy is considered one of the most famous graffiti artists in the world. His stencils, tagged in several major cities across the globe, have aroused the desire of some. In January 2019, another stencil was stolen in Paris. Representing a sad little girl, it was tagged not far from the Bataclan, in tribute to the victims of the attacks of November 13, 2015.

The work was finally found in 2020 in Rome, Italy. Eight people were arrested and then tried in 2022. Sentences of up to two years in prison were handed down by the criminal court.

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