A few days ago, news turned around the world that a Bethlehem gallery took down two murals by Banksy, the famous street-art artist, and brought them to New York. The gallery is justifying its action with the necessity to protect works of art against destruction, while experts on the art market talk about theft and stripping the pieces of their original meaning.

The main reason for the argument between the gallery and Banksy’s fans are two murals: Stop and Search and Wet Dog, created by the artist in Bethlehem in 2007 in the vicinity of the wall separating Israel from the territory of Palestinian Autonomy.

Not only is the world of art outraged at the removal of Banksy’s works, but also the fact they have been put up for sale. The value of the murals is estimated at 450,000 dollars a piece, and the price was stated as “subject to negotiation with the gallery”. What’s more, authorship of the works is questionable, too. Only one of the six murals removed has the certificate of authenticity granted to Banksy’s murals by the organisation Pest Control, who act as a kind of legal representative for the artist.

“It’s simply saddening. Those murals could brighten up the streets of that sad city and cheer up thousands of people crushed by everyday life. And now they will be bought by some rich banker and mounted in his living room. It simply opposes the idea of street art,” comments Sebastian Buck, author of a street-art blog, on the removal of Banksy's works.

Banksy, who effectively hides from the media, refused to comment on the conflict.