Banksy Unmasked? Investigation Claims to Reveal Artist’s True Identity
Journalists at Reuters declare to have unmasked Banksythe nameless graffiti artist who has lengthy dominated the UK art scene with politically provocative murals.
In an investigation published Friday titled In Search of Banksyreporters Simon Gardner, James Pearson and Blake Morrison element a posh and in depth hunt for Banksy’s actual title, pulling data from a visit to Ukraine, the place he was photographed and met with locals; a fallout with Jamaican photographer Peter Dean Rickards, who is claimed to have posted pictures of Banksy’s face; and a 2000 New York arrest, the place they found a signed, handwritten confession.
The Reuters workers argue that Bristol native Banksy will not be Robert Del Naja, the frontman of Massive Attack, who has been rumored to be the well-known artist due to his politics and personal graffiti passions. The investigation was muddied by Del Naja’s additionally being in Ukraine in 2022, however the musician was joined by one other man, whom they’ve decided was Banksy.
This individual is Robin Gunningham, who Reuters says modified his title to David Jones some years in the past.
The publication makes a bunch of arguments as to why Gunningham is Banksy, backing up a 2008 report from The Mail on Sunday that additionally claimed Gunningham is Banksy. Banksy’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, wrote to Reuters that his consumer “does not accept that many of the details contained within [the] “inquiry are correct.”
Stephens additionally informed the outlet that publishing their findings “would violate the artist’s privacy, interfere with his art and put him in danger,” in addition to hurt the general 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 ahead 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 well-known works are Girl With Balloonwhich was later shredded instantly after promoting at public sale in a stunning viral second that went on to earn $25 million for the newly named Love Is within the Bin. In the Reuters piece, they allege a person resembling Gunningham was in attendance at Sotheby’s London when the artwork was shredded, observing the gang’s response.
Banksy’s most up-to-date headline-grabber popped up in September final yr, depicting a decide attacking an unarmed protester along with his gavel. Banksy captioned it Royal Courts of Justiceand it was prompt to have been an announcement on the authorized clampdown of pro-Palestine protests in England. The art work was rapidly eliminated.
Some of Banksy’s friends confess to Reuters within the investigation that they imagine he unfairly evades the legislation. Graffiti is prohibited within the UK when carried out on public or personal property with out the proprietor’s permission.
