Britain’s premier graffiti artist admittedly has a thing for walls:
“Walls are hot right now, but I was into them long before [Donald] Trump made it cool,” said Banksy in a statement. The artist, who fiercely guards his anonymity, first came to Bethlehem more than a decade ago, leaving a series of paintings on the barrier that have become a tourist destination in their own right.”
During his visit to Bethlehem in 2008 Banksy left behind some memorable works, my favorite being...
In 2015 Basksy entered The Gaza Strip through an illegal tunnel, documented in the short film:
Make this the year YOU discover a new destination.
In Gaza he left behind several notable works:
Of the kitten above, which is playing with a “ball” constructed of rusting concertina wire collected by the artist, Banksy explained on his website:
“”Banksy says that during the filming a local man had asked him what the meaning was of the kitten. "I explained (that) I wanted to highlight the destruction in Gaza by posting photos on my website – but on the Internet people only look at pictures of kittens."”
Gaza was also bequeathed this dazzling work which was unfortunately set on the more portable support of a rusted out iron door. The Palestinian man who owned the door, which is probably worth tens of thousands of dollars, was duped out of it by an unscrupulous local graffiti artist for the equivalent of $180. Hamas authorities helpfully stepped in and confiscated the door and will doubtless one day test the market.
But, back to the Hotel.