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Works by an internationally-renowned French street artist who goes by the name Invader have been stolen only hours after they were put up.
The mosaic-style pieces, inspired by the cult arcade video game Space Invaders, have been spotted at several sites around Brixton and also in Rathbone Street in Fitzrovia. They can fetch up to £30,000 a piece.
One of the first to vanish was a work under a bridge in Brixton Road featuring an orange alien. Another alien appeared above a fried chicken and curry restaurant in Coldharbour Lane but hours later some had been ripped down.
The remaining works are on private properties, which means it is down to the owners to decide whether they want to remove them.
Simon Zucconi, who has a flower stall outside Brixton Tube station, spotted one of the works featuring a pink alien, above a branch of Iceland. He said: "The amount of people who have been stopping to have a look at it has been amazing... It would be a crime to take it down."
Although he works anonymously, Invader has exhibited at galleries in France, Holland and Turkey. His tiled works have also sprung up in 40 cities around the world since they were first noticed in Paris in 1998.
It is thought that his latest wave of work is the artist's ninth time that he has hit London.
Reader views (2)
This article seems a wee bit like an Advertisement,and as we have never heard of him before,we are all now educated,but I will not be buying this rubbish.
- Davey_Buoy, Chertsey, 12/12/2011 15:18
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This French Invader seems more daft than Darth, in any event if he/she tries it on a listed building it will be a serious criminal offence. It seems a long time since the French invaded anything but perhaps the attack on the Greenpeace boat in New Zealand addressed the balance.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, Surrey, 12/12/2011 14:36
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