A mural by British street artist Banksy on a fire-exit door at Paris’ Bataclan theatre, where Islamist militants killed 90 people three years ago, has been stolen, the venue confirmed on Saturday.
The artwork depicts a veiled female figure in a mournful pose and is one of a series of murals painted last June in the French capital by Banksy.
“We are today filled with a deep sense of indignation. The work of Banksy, a symbol of contemplation belonging to all - residents, Parisians and citizens of the world - has been taken from us,” the Bataclan said in a Twitter post.
Thieves with a van had stolen the door on which the mural was painted the previous night, a police source told Reuters.
The suspects then reportedly drove away with the artwork in a truck.
In November 2015, the Bataclan theatre was stormed by militants during a rock concert as part of “coordinated attacks” in and around the city which claimed the lives of 130 people.
Some of Banksy’s works in Paris, which also addressed issues like immigration, were vandalised soon after they were put up, while others were protected by screens.
The murals of Banksy, whose real name remains a secret, have become prized attractions for collectors.
He began spray-painting trains and walls in his home city of Bristol in the early 1990s. But in the 2000s, the artist expanded his work and soon began producing work all over the world.
One of his pieces, created last month in Wales, depicting a child enjoying snow that is in fact pollution, sold for over £100,000.
Last October, the artist hit headlines after one of his paintings was purchased for over £1m at London auction - before immediately shredding itself.