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Gaza man 'duped' into selling Banksy work Gaza man 'duped' into selling Banksy work for fraction of value
(about 5 hours later)
A man in Gaza says he has been duped into selling a valuable work by British graffiti artist Banksy for less than £120 to a local artist. A man in Gaza says he has been duped into selling a Banksy artwork worth thousands that was painted on the door of his war-damaged house for just $175 (£118).
The street artist is believed to have sneaked into Gaza earlier this year, leaving behind four murals, including one drawn on a metal door that depicted the Greek goddess Niobe cowering against the rubble of a destroyed house. The painting, titled Bomb Damage, was drawn on a door, the last remaining part of a two-storey house belonging to the Dardouna family in northern Gaza. The mural of Niobe, a mourning Greek goddess – entitled Bomb Damage – had been painted on a metal door which was all that remained of the home of Rabie Dardouna, 33, after it was hit by Israeli munitions in last year’s Gaza war.
Unaware of the work’s value, Rabie Dardouna, 33, said on Tuesday that he was tricked into selling the door to an eager local artist for just 700 shekels, or about £118. Banksy’s works have been valued as high as hundreds of thousands of pounds. Now the artwork – one of four painted by the British street artist after he reportedly found his way into Gaza earlier this year – has been removed after Belal Khaled, a local artist, persuaded Dardouna to sell it to him.
“I did not know that it was this valuable. I heard it can be sold for millions,” Dardouna said. “Now I want the door back.” Original Banksys can fetch hundreds of thousands of pounds and it appears Dardouna was unaware of who had painted the mural on his wall or what it was worth.
The Gaza artist who bought the door, Belal Khaled, said he did not mean to trick anyone. He said he just wanted to protect the painting and had no intention of profiting. He said: “I did not know that it was this valuable. I heard it can be sold for millions. Now I want the door back.”
“I bought the painting to protect its artistic value and preserve it from damage,” Khaled told the Associated Press. “Another reason is to display it in other places as well. I don’t have any monetary interest in this.” Dardouna said he did not know who the British artist was and initially could not pronounce Banksy’s name correctly.
He said he has been in touch with Banksy’s representatives, hoping to get clearance to showcase the mural in Gaza art exhibitions. Speaking to the Guardian on Wednesday, the father of seven, who works for the Palestinian Authority, explained that he had originally not paid much attention to the painting that had appeared on the door and frame.
On Facebook Palestinian activists and journalists have accused the buyer of tricking the Dardouna family while others have defended him for buying it legally. Khaled agreed to show reporters the mural on condition that its location not be revealed. He said: “When I first noticed the painting, some neighbours told me that someone had come early in the morning with some other people and painted it. I didn’t pay that much attention to it, although people would come and photograph it.
The Dardouna home was one of 18,000 destroyed in the 50-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers last summer. Banksy is a critic of Israel and he has created works in Gaza and the West Bank meant to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians. “Then someone called Belal Khaled called me on the phone. He said ‘we’ve painted seven paintings on seven doors and I bought all the doors except for yours and I paid 500 shekels for each’. At first I refused to sell it as I thought the door was worth more as it is heavy metal and I asked for 1,000 shekels. Finally we agreed on 700 shekels [about $175].
Other Banksy works spotted in Gaza were a mural of a kitten and of children swinging from a military watchtower. “Then he came and cut the door and took it.
Banksy’s publicist, Jo Brooks, said at the time that the artist entered Gaza through a tunnel from Egypt, though such a route is extremely difficult and dangerous. “I didn’t know how valuable the door was. I sold it for the value of the metal, not the painting. Then people told me it was a famous international artist and is priceless. I want the door to be set as it was while I rebuild my house. I feel now I was tricked as he told me that he is buying the door not the painting. I was duped.”
On a previous visit to the region he drew a painting of a girl pulled upward by balloons on Israel’s West Bank separation barrier. Khaled, who declined to be interviewed by the Guardian, has said he did not mean to trick anyone. He said he just wanted to protect the painting and had no intention of profiting.
He told the Associated Press: “I bought the painting to protect its artistic value and preserve it from damage. Another reason is to display it in other places as well. I don’t have any monetary interest in this.”
In a separate interview with Reuters, Khaled said: “Since I started as a graffiti artist it has been my dream to own a piece of Banksy art.”
Khaled said he told Dardouna the painting on his door was by Banksy but it did not seem to register.
He added: “I am not thinking of selling it at the present time. I will consider offers to display it in international galleries to speak about the suffering of Gaza and the agonies of war.”
Some Palestinian activists and journalists have accused the buyer of tricking the Dardounas, while others have defended him for buying it legally. Khaled agreed to show reporters the mural on the condition that its location was not revealed.
Dardouna’s home was one of 18,000 destroyed in the 50-day war between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers last summer. Banksy is a critic of Israel and has created works in Gaza and the West Bank that aim to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinians.
Other Banksy works spotted in Gaza after the mystery visit were a mural of a playful kitten and another of children swinging from a military watchtower.