Identity of Street Artist Banksy revealed ?
The real identity of street artist Banksy, whose works have sold for millions of dollars, has finally been revealed, press agency Reuters says.
A detailed investigation by Reuters has now identified Banksy as Robin Gunningham, 51, from Bristol. The report found that Gunningham changed his name to David Jones, one of the most common British male names, in 2008 to avoid identification.
“It is one of the most popular names in Britain, so common it helps him hide in plain sight,” the report states.
As part of their investigation, reporters pulled information from a trip to war-torn Ukraine, where he was photographed and spoke with locals; a falling out with Jamaican photographer Peter Dean Rickards; and a 2000 NYPD arrest report including a signed, handwritten confession.
Gunningham/Jones has previously been identified as Banksy in a Mail on Sunday report in 2008; however, Reuters reporters pieced together several forensic pieces of evidence to come to their conclusions. The report’s authors say they have also disproven the theory that Banksy was really musician Robert Del Naja, frontman of the famed Bristol group Massive Attack.
Confusingly, their investigation found that Del Naja was also in Ukraine in 2022, but Reuters reported that he was there with Gunningham.
But Banksy’s lawyer isn’t having any of it, firing back that the report is incorrect and violates the artist’s right to privacy. In a statement, his lawyer, Mark Stephens, told Reuters that his client “does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct.”
Banksy maintains his anonymity because he has “been subjected to fixated, threatening and extremist behaviour,” Stephens added.
“Working anonymously or under a pseudonym serves vital societal interests. It protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution – particularly when addressing sensitive issues such as politics, religion or social justice,” the statement concluded.
Reuters has defended outing Banksy, arguing that “the public has a deep interest in understanding the identity and career of a figure with his profound and enduring influence on culture, the art industry and international political discourse.”