Street artist Banksy has been named after hiding in plain sight
The globally famous graffiti artist Banksy has been identified after allegedly taking one of Britain’s most common names to try to remain hidden from the art world after making millions by stealth
READING LEVEL: ORANGE
The graffiti* artist known as Banksy has finally been unmasked – but not before changing his name to something so ordinary that he could hide in plain sight.
The street art sensation, whose works have sold for millions of dollars, was identified as Robin Gunningham, 51, of the English city Bristol, in a detailed investigation published by Reuters on Friday.
The report found that Gunningham changed his name to David Jones — one of the most common male British 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 research, reporters pulled information from a trip to war-torn Ukraine, where Gunningham was photographed and spoke with locals. There was also a falling out with Jamaican photographer Peter Dean Rickards, and an NYPD arrest report in 2000 that included a signed, handwritten confession.
Gunningham/Jones has previously been identified as Banksy, dating back to a Mail on Sunday report in 2008. However, the Reuters reporters pieced together several pieces of evidence to reach their conclusion.
The report’s authors said they have also disproved the theory that Banksy was really musician and fellow graffiti artist Robert Del Naja, best known as founding member of Bristol group Massive Attack.
Confusingly, the Reuters investigation found that Del Naja was also in Ukraine in 2022, but Reuters reported that he was there with Gunningham.
A spokesman for Banksy did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
In a statement, the artist’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, told Reuters that his client “does not accept that many of the details contained within your inquiry are correct.”
Banksy maintained his anonymity because he has “been subjected to fixated*, threatening and extremist* behaviour,” Mr Stephens said.
“(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.
In naming Banksy, Reuters argued 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 is Girl with Balloon, a simple stencil drawing of a young girl letting go of a red, heart-shaped balloon that was named in one opinion poll as the British public’s favourite piece of British art.
In 2018, the design was at the centre of a dramatic stunt, when a framed copy of the work was sold at auction then immediately shredded by a mechanical device Banksy had hidden within the frame.
The artist confirmed he was responsible for the shredding, later giving the altered piece the new name, Love is in the Bin.
It was later sold for US$25.4 million (AU$36.3 million) in 2021.
This story was originally published by the New York Post and is republished with permission
POLL
GLOSSARY
- graffiti: words or drawings, especially humorous, rude, or political, on walls, doors, etc. in public places
- fixated: obsessed, unable to stop thinking about something
- extremist: someone who has beliefs that most people think are unreasonable and unacceptable and behaves in a fanatical or unreasonable way
- pseudonym: a name someone uses instead of their real name, especially on a piece of writing or art
- censorship: limiting ideas people can express in speech, books, plays, films, art and reporting
- persecution: unfair or cruel treatment over a long period of time because of race, religion, or political beliefs
- profound: delving deeply into subjects or ideas, showing or requiring great knowledge or understanding
- discourse: spoken or written communication between people, especially serious discussion of a particular subject
EXTRA READING
Banksy’s animal series runs wild
Banksy mural sprouts in London
$1.7m Banksy painting self-destructs at auction
QUICK QUIZ
- What is the real name of the street artist Banksy, according to the Reuters investigation?
- What is the common British name he has been using to try to keep his identity secret?
- What famously happened to a copy of Girl with Balloon in 2018?
- Banksy changed the name of that artwork to what?
- The founding member of which British band was previously rumoured to be Banksy?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Banksy-inspired art
Design your own Banksy-style artwork that sends a social message on one of the following topics:
– environment
– kindness matters
– a social justice issue
– an issue in your school or community
Write a paragraph explaining what your artwork means and why street art like Banksy’s can be powerful.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: Visual Arts, Humanities, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
Do you think it’s a good or bad thing that Banksy’s real identity has been uncovered?
Explain your answer giving the reasons why and how his future projects might be impacted.
Time: allow 5 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: Visual Arts, English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Describe it
Choose one of the Banksy artworks pictured in the story and make a list of five nouns that you see. Then describe those five nouns with five adjectives. Now add a preposition to those five nouns and adjectives.
Finally, choose your favourite bundle and put all the words together to make one descriptive sentence.
(For lower reading level articles, remove “add a preposition”)