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The identity of anonymous street artist 'Banksy' revealed

Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:48 am
Posted by Naked Bootleg
Premium Plus® Member
Member since Jul 2021
3534 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:48 am
quote:

The notorious guerrilla street artist, whose polarizing works have sold for millions of dollars, was identified as Robin Gunningham, 51, from the English city of Bristol, in a detailed investigation by Reuters on Friday.




quote:

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.


NY Post article








Bet the dude wishes he could have cashed in on the sales of his works
This post was edited on 3/17/26 at 9:52 am
Posted by geauxtigers87
Louisiana
Member since Mar 2011
27350 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:50 am to
quote:

Bet the dude wishes he could have cashed in on the sales of his works


maybe, artists are a weird bunch
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41746 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:51 am to
I dont believe it.

quote:

Bet the dude wishes he could have cashed in on the sales of his works


What He easily could have, he chose not to. It's very obvious it was not about the money for him. Like him or not, it'd be pretty dumb to think that he's wishing he cashed in on his art.
Posted by Naked Bootleg
Premium Plus® Member
Member since Jul 2021
3534 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:53 am to
quote:

He easily could have, he chose not to. It's very obvious it was not about the money for him. Like him or not, it'd be pretty dumb to think that he's wishing he cashed in on his art.


Maybe, you never know. I just wonder if he ever had any idea his works might instantly be worth millions.
Posted by Fun Bunch
New Orleans
Member since May 2008
129546 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:54 am to
It probably dawned on him sometime in the past 35 years when they started going for millions.

I am sure he could have at any time, and certainly did to some extent.
Posted by CaptainsWafer
TD Platinum Member
Member since Feb 2006
59246 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:55 am to
quote:

Bet the dude wishes he could have cashed in on the sales of his works



He most certainly can now though right
Posted by TROLA
BATON ROUGE
Member since Apr 2004
14629 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:55 am to
I’ve never been enamored with finding out who he iis at this point but I’ve enjoyed his work for years. I don’t need to know the face behind Simple unique art…. The oddity in itself adds to the value.
Posted by Y.A. Tittle
Member since Sep 2003
110519 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:56 am to
quote:

He most certainly can now though right


Maybe it's just the most brilliant advanced marketing ploy of all time.
Posted by jbgleason
Bailed out of BTR to God's Country
Member since Mar 2012
20041 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:59 am to
Why did Reuters feel the need to out him? What good comes from it?

Maybe they could spend their time outing the pedophiles and fraudsters stealing out tax dollars instead?
Posted by mindbreaker
Baton Rouge
Member since Dec 2011
7877 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:59 am to
If this is true I hate it. I wish they would have left him alone. He wanted to be left alone and just do art. Need more people not obsessed with plastering themselves all over social media for clicks.
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41746 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 9:59 am to
quote:

Maybe, you never know. I just wonder if he ever had any idea his works might instantly be worth millions.


I mean we 100% know. It's his company that is the one who authenticates his works. The pieces that sell for millions only sell for millions if they are verified by Pest Control Office. He could literally just paint pictures and verify them by PCO and make millions upon millions.
Posted by HuskyPanda
Philly
Member since Feb 2018
2373 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:02 am to
quote:

It probably dawned on him sometime in the past 35 years when they started going for millions.


That shredded painting sold for $25 Million after initially selling for $1.4 Million. I'm sure he didn't see a dime of it.

But I'd watch a movie on how he snuck a shredder into the original painting before auction at Sotheby's.
Posted by Macintosh
Lane State University
Member since Sep 2011
56354 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:04 am to
Value of his art just went down after being exposed as old fat and ugly
Posted by lsuconnman
Baton rouge
Member since Feb 2007
4889 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:06 am to
I think it’s still reasonable to assume bansky is just a pseudonymous artist collective.

Daily mail doxxed that guy 20 years ago. What also goes unstated is the UK has a vast surveillance system with cameras on every corner. There’s no way the same guy spent 2 decades tagging buildings without anyone identifying the published pictures.

The changed name to David jones narrative is just a new PR campaign. Which also solves the legal issues since it was ruled Bansky can’t enforce his IP anonymously. Now he has a unique albeit common name.
This post was edited on 3/17/26 at 10:10 am
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
35146 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:06 am to
He has probably cashed in. Maybe not as much as he could've.
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41746 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:14 am to
quote:

Value of his art just went down after being exposed as old fat and ugly


This report is naming him as the same guy he was reported as being by Daily Mail almost 20 years ago. His art is worth 20x as much as it was then.
I'm in the middle of reading the Rueters article/investigation that is linked inside the OP's article but so far it's nothing new really. If anything, just backing up a 18 year old report.

Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41746 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:23 am to
quote:

If this is true I hate it. I wish they would have left him alone. He wanted to be left alone and just do art. Need more people not obsessed with plastering themselves all over social media for clicks.


Art is subjective I know butt I love his art and I love the mystery around him. The story probably adds to why I like his art so much. I just don't see how you could be a fan (like this Rueters website that did the investigation claims to be) and make it your goal to unmask him.

It's a long article but nothing in there is all that new. The "investigation is kind of B.S. if anything.

quote:

Reuters interviewed a dozen Banksy-world insiders and experts. None would comment on his identity, but many filled in details about his life and career. We examined photos of the artist, most of which obscured his face but contained critical information. We later unearthed previously undisclosed U.S. court records and police reports.

These included a hand-written confession by the artist to a long-ago misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct – a document that revealed, beyond dispute, Banksy’s true identity.


So their biggest revelation was court documents. Which they don't give any detail on. And "Banksy experts", not even the people that supposedly saw an artist spray painting in Kyviv.
Posted by iwyLSUiwy
I'm your huckleberry
Member since Apr 2008
41746 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:30 am to
quote:

He has probably cashed in. Maybe not as much as he could've.


Here's a quote from him years ago...

quote:

“I tell myself I use art to promote dissent, but maybe I am just using dissent to promote my art. I plead not guilty to selling out. But I plead it from a bigger house than I used to live in.”


Posted by OysterPoBoy
City of St. George
Member since Jul 2013
44227 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:31 am to
Posted by Bjorn Cyborg
Member since Sep 2016
35146 posts
Posted on 3/17/26 at 10:33 am to
That's about what I figured.
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