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Arts

There was nothing left of this bombed house except a door painted on by Banksy. Now police have it.

The World
Updated on
The door of a destroyed house, painted by British street artist Banksy, is seen here inside the gallery of a local Palestinian artist.

The door of a destroyed house, painted by British street artist Banksy, is seen here inside the gallery of a local Palestinian artist. 

Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters

Rabie Darduna's house was completely destroyed during the Hamas-Israeli war last summer in Gaza. All except for the front door and frame, that is, which remains standing as if ready to welcome guests for dinner.

Darduna's door became a piece of art when graffiti artist, Banksy painted an image of a Greek goddess weeping on it.

The door was one of several 'canvases' Banksy painted on in Gaza back in February.

It's hard to say whether Darduna knew what price a Banksy might fetch in the market, but when a local artist named Bilal Khaled offered 700 shekels (about $175) for the door, he took the deal. Meanwhile, Sotheby's was auctioning off Banksy works for as much as $730,000 in June.

A Palestinian woman walks past the frame of a doorway of a destroyed house, on which British street artist Banksy painted an image of a goddess holding her head in her hand, after the door with the painted image was sold in the Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian woman walks past the frame of a doorway of a destroyed house, on which British street artist Banksy painted an image of a goddess holding her head in her hand, after the door with the painted image was sold in the Gaza Strip.Mohammed Salem/Reuters

This week, Darduna claimed he was swindled, and Thursday, police in Khan Younis acted on a court order and seized the door.

Khaled says the deal is legit.

But Darduna told the BBC he was pressured and that he "accepted because [he] need[ed] the money."

Here's more of the BBC's interview with Darduna:

While an unassuming door might be at the center of this latest Banksy ownership kerfuffle, the graffiti artist used other everyday surfaces while in Gaza.

A mural of a playful-looking kitten, thought to be painted by British street artist Banksy, is seen on the remains of a house in Biet Hanoun. Banksy has posted a mini-documentary on his banksy.co.uk site showing squalid conditions in Gaza six months after
A mural of a playful-looking kitten, thought to be painted by British street artist Banksy, is seen on the remains of a house in Biet Hanoun. Banksy has posted a mini-documentary on his banksy.co.uk site showing squalid conditions in Gaza six months after the end of the war between the enclave's Islamist Hamas rulers and Israel.Suhaib Salem
A mural, thought to be painted by British street artist Banksy, is seen on a wall in Biet Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip.
A mural, thought to be painted by British street artist Banksy, is seen on a wall in Biet Hanoun town in the northern Gaza Strip.Suhaib Salem/Reuters

It's not the first time Banksy has been to the Israel and Gaza. Here are a couple of images of his work from 2008 and 2005.

Members of the Palestinian security forces patrol near a mural by graffiti artist Banksy during a visit by then US President George W. Bush to the West Bank town of Bethlehem January 10, 2008.
Members of the Palestinian security forces patrol near a mural by graffiti artist Banksy during a visit by then US President George W. Bush to the West Bank town of Bethlehem January 10, 2008.Nayef Hashlamoun/Reuters
A Palestinian boy walks past a drawing by British graffiti artist Banksy, along part of the controversial Israeli barrier near the Kalandia checkpoint in the West Bank August 10, 2005.
A Palestinian boy walks past a drawing by British graffiti artist Banksy, along part of the controversial Israeli barrier near the Kalandia checkpoint in the West Bank August 10, 2005.Ammar Awad/Reuters
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