Saturday, June 14, 2025
8:45 PM
Doha,Qatar
RELATED STORIES

Gaza police seize Banksy's disputed weeping goddess

A file picture taken on April 1, 2015 in Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip shows a mural of a weeping woman, said to have been painted by British street artist Banksy, on the door of a house that was destroyed during the 50-day war between Israel and Hamas militants in the summer of 2014.

AFP/Gaza City

Gaza police have seized a work by famed street artist Banksy from a man who bought it for $200 from a family that later said it was duped, both sides told AFP.
Bilal Khaled, accused of buying the work painted on a door belonging to the Darduna family without telling them its real value, said Friday "the police seized it yesterday under a court order".
The now homeless family in the impoverished Islamist-run Palestinian enclave says they were "tricked" into parting with the valuable collector's item.
At the end of February, the artist, who chooses to remain anonymous, released an online video showing three works he painted on the walls of Gaza homes destroyed in Israeli air strikes.
The disputed graffiti shows Greek goddess Niobe weeping on a metal doorway which was all that remained standing of the Darduna family home.
Khaled said it "will be stored at Khan Yunes public library until this issue is resolved".
Rabie Darduna confirmed this to AFP, adding that the family "has filed a complaint against Bilal Khaled for fraud and to demand justice in retrieving the graffiti".
Khaled countered: "I'm going to exercise my rights over this graffiti because I have the paperwork to prove that I own it."
The elusive Banksy produced the artwork during a secret visit to Gaza that was blasted in a summer war last year between Israel and the Hamas movement that runs the territory.
It is now the focus of an increasingly bitter dispute between the Dardunas and Khaled.
Rabieh Darduna, 33, earlier told AFP he had been approached by a young man calling himself Bilal Khaled and claiming to be a news agency photographer and journalist.
"He said it was his agency that had painted the graffiti on the door and other doors, and that they now wanted to recover them," Darduna said.
"He gave me 700 shekels ($180, 165 euros) and went off with the door."  
Darduna said he later felt cheated for letting the door go for so little when collectors have paid more than a million dollars for a Banksy.
The artist's works were seen as a damning critique of Israel's bombardment of Gaza as it battled Hamas, destroying or damaging more than 100,000 homes and killing nearly 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians.
Banksy's murals also include a giant cat painted on the last remaining wall of a Gaza home playing with a ball of twisted metal.
The artist's online video about his trip to Gaza was entitled "Make this the year YOU discover a new destination".
Banksy is believed to have started out as a graffiti artist in London, although his identity remains shrouded in mystery.
His murals have been chiselled out of walls and sold for large sums in the past.

Comments
  • There are no comments.

Add Comments

B1Details

Latest News

SPORT

Canada's youngsters set stage for new era

Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.

1:43 PM February 26 2017
TECHNOLOGY

A payment plan for universal education

Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education

11:46 AM December 14 2016
CULTURE

10-man Lekhwiya leave it late to draw Rayyan 2-2

Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions

7:10 AM November 26 2016
ARABIA

Yemeni minister hopes 48-hour truce will be maintained

The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged

10:30 AM November 27 2016
ARABIA

QM initiative aims to educate society on arts and heritage

Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.

10:55 PM November 27 2016
ARABIA

Qatar, Indonesia to boost judicial ties

The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.

10:30 AM November 28 2016
ECONOMY

Sri Lanka eyes Qatar LNG to fuel power plants in ‘clean energy shift’

Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.

10:25 AM November 12 2016
B2Details
C7Details