Banksy mural stolen from Bataclan theatre found in Italian farmhouse

A mural by secretive British street artist Banksy stolen from the Bataclan theatre in Paris has been found in a farmhouse in central Italy.

The work, one of a series of murals painted in June 2018 in the French capital, shows a veiled female figure staring mournfully downwards.

Thieves stole the mural in January last year, apparently using portable grinders to remove a fire-exit door before carrying it off in a van, the daily La Repubblica reported.

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Magistrates in the central city of L'Aquila said the mural had been recovered on Wednesday morning from an attic.

The mural had been found in a house in the countryside but it appeared that the occupants may not have been aware of the value of the artwork or what it was.

The Bataclan, one of Paris' best-known rock venues, was stormed by militants during a concert in November 2015, as part of coordinated attacks around the city that killed 130 people.

Banksy, who keeps his real identity secret, has become one of the most distinctive personalities of the modern art scene with a series of witty artworks in public places that mix street art techniques with powerful political points.

He has most recently reacted to the death of black American George Floyd after a white police officer knelt on his neck.

He also proposed a new presentation of the toppling of 17th century slave owner Edward Colston that was brought down by protestors in the artist's home city of Bristol