Banksy Unmasked? Investigation Claims to Reveal Artist’s True Identity

Journalists at Reuters claim to have unmasked Banksy, the anonymous graffiti artist who has long ruled the U.K. art scene with politically provocative murals.

In an investigation published Friday titled In Search of Banksy, reporters Simon Gardner, James Pearson and Blake Morrison detail a complex and extensive hunt for Banksy’s real name, pulling information from a trip to Ukraine, where he was photographed and met with locals; a fallout with Jamaican photographer Peter Dean Rickards, who is said to have posted photos of Banksy’s face; and a 2000 New York arrest, where they discovered a signed, handwritten confession.

The Reuters staff argue that Bristol native Banksy is not Robert Del Naja, the frontman of Massive Attack, who has been rumored to be the famous artist due to his politics and own graffiti passions. The investigation was muddied by Del Naja’s also being in Ukraine in 2022, but the musician was joined by another man, whom they have ascertained was Banksy.

This person is Robin Gunningham, who Reuters says changed his name to David Jones some years ago.

The publication makes a host of arguments as to why Gunningham is Banksy, backing up a 2008 report from The Mail on Sunday that also claimed Gunningham is Banksy. Banksy’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, wrote to Reuters that his client “does not accept that many of the details contained within [the] enquiry are correct.”

Stephens also told the outlet that publishing their findings “would violate the artist’s privacy, interfere with his art and put him in danger,” as well as harm the public: “Working anonymously or under a pseudonym serves vital societal interests,” he wrote. “It protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution.”

Reuters says it moved forward with the piece, having concluded 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.”

Among Banksy’s most famous works are Girl With Balloon, which was later shredded immediately after selling at auction in a shocking viral moment that went on to earn $25 million for the newly named Love Is in the Bin. In the Reuters piece, they allege a man resembling Gunningham was in attendance at Sotheby’s London when the art was shredded, observing the crowd’s reaction.

Banksy’s most recent headline-grabber popped up in September last year, depicting a judge attacking an unarmed protester with his gavel. Banksy captioned it Royal Courts of Justice, and it was suggested to have been a statement on the legal clampdown of pro-Palestine protests in England. The artwork was swiftly removed.

Some of Banksy’s peers confess to Reuters in the investigation that they believe he unfairly evades the law. Graffiti is illegal in the U.K. when done on public or private property without the owner’s permission.