- Banksy's true identity may be Robin Gunningham, a British artist from Bristol
- Reuters linked Banksy to Gunningham using arrest records and photos from Ukraine
- A 2000 New York arrest record included a handwritten confession signed Robin Gunningham
The identity of the mysterious street artist, popularly known as Banksy, may have been finally revealed. A team of journalists at Reuters claims to have linked the graffiti artist to a man named Robin Gunningham, a British artist from Bristol who later changed his name to David Jones. Banksy's often politically themed street art has made him a celebrity across the globe, but despite his popularity, his true identity has never been confirmed, until now.
The publication pieced together evidence of Banksy's identity by tracing his trip to Ukraine, where he was photographed and met with residents and analysing his fallout with Jamaican photographer Peter Dean Rickards, who reportedly posted images of the artist's face. A critical piece of the puzzle was a 2000 New York arrest record, which included a signed, handwritten confession under the name Robin Gunningham.
"The signature at the bottom of the handwritten confession in his 2000 arrest in New York reveals the given name of the artist, who had only recently taken on the pseudonym Banksy," the report highlighted, adding that a 2008 report from The Mail on Sunday also claimed that Gunningham was Banksy's real, government identity.
The report also shut down rumours that Robert Del Naja, the frontman of Massive Attack, a British trip hop band, was moonlighting as Banksy, owing to his politics and graffiti passions.
Banksy is said to have also attended the 2018 Sotheby's auction in London of his iconic Girl with Balloon artwork, which was partially shredded by a device he had secretly built into the frame. Art dealer Casterline, who was at the venue, began taking pictures but saw an oddly looking man blocking his view.
After reviewing the shots, Casterline found that the man's glasses appeared to have a small camera built into the bridge, with Banksy later posting a video of the stunt. Having previously seen a 2004 photo of Robin Gunningham, Casterline said he was the same man, just thinner and older.
The theory that Banksy and Gunningham are the same man receives credence from a previous BBC interview. While promoting the opening of his "Turf War" show in East London in 2003, Banksy told the outlet that his first name was "Robbie".
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Banksy's Popularity
Banksy boasts of an A-list client list and has sold his works for tens of millions of pounds at auction since achieving notoriety in the early 2000s. In 2010, when TIME magazine named him one of the world's most influential people, Banksy appeared in a photo portrait wearing a bag over his head.
In September last year, Banksy made headlines by depicting a judge attacking an unarmed protester with his gavel. He captioned the artwork, Royal Courts of Justice, which seemingly took a dig at the legal clampdown of pro-Palestine protests in England.
