Banksy's art has a history of drumming up controversy when it is sold, whether to unsuspecting tourists in New York City or at gigantic art shows in Los Angeles. And it seems his most recent pieces in Gaza are no exception.
A man from the Gaza Strip told BBC on Wednesday that he was tricked into selling a door that was painted by British graffiti artist Banksy. Rabieh Darduna was approached by a man, Bilal Khaled, who claimed to be a freelance photographer and journalist.
The Darduna family was told that the door was being purchased on behalf of the artist. Darduna then sold the artwork for 700 shekels ($175). To put this figure into perspective, Banksy's small prints that were sold in 2014 fetched between $65,000 and $120,000 each at auction. This door is not only a more complex art peice, but was featured in Banksy's mini-documentary that went viral earlier this year.
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However, Khaled maintains that he was honest in his approach, and told the family that the art was by an international artist. For now, he says that he does not want to resell the peice, and is only trying to preserve it.
This is not the first time that Bansky's work in Palestine has been carted out of the occupied territories and then resold for a huge profit. Stephan Keslzer, of Keszler Galleries in Southampton, New York, removed murals that were painted on the West Bank wall in Bethlehem in 2011, which caused controversy in the art community. Some suspect that Keszler is behind the Gaza door as well, but no one has confirmed this yet.
In the meantime, the art world waits to see what happens to the door and if it ends up on the international market.
Here is the original mini-documentary, where the door was first showcased.