Banksy Revealed! Or Is That Exactly What Banksy Wants Us to Think…

For years, the world has entertained theories about who’s behind Banksy, the elusive street artist and serial prankster. Some have floated the idea of a larger art collective, or that mysterious blonde woman spotted in the background of his Oscar-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, or maybe a time-traveling alien, or ME…OK, I made those last two up, but you get it. It could be anybody.

But on Monday, an 8,000-word report published by Reuters appears to put the rumors to rest, detailing a year-long investigation into Banksy’s true identity. The report identifies him as Robin Gunningham, a Bristol native, who vanished from public records a decade ago, only to be discovered by Reuters under a new identity: David Jones.

Robin Gunningham isn’t a new discovery, and has been at the top of the suspect list ever since Banksy was publicly “unmasked” by a British tabloid in 2008. Since then, Gunningham has gone completely off the grid. Meanwhile, Banksy’s artworks have continued to pop up in unsuspecting places, rising in value and popularity. 

Gunningham’s new identity was uncovered by tracing a trail that began when Banksys started appearing across Ukraine in 2021. The outlet’s reporting traced some activity to a remote village, where a café owner placed Robert Del Naja of the U.K. trip-hop group Massive Attack, a longtime Banksy suspect now believed to be a collaborator, at the scene. On the same day Del Naja crossed the border into Ukraine, a man traveling under the name David Jones did the same, and the birthdate on his passport matched Robin Gunningham’s. DUN DUN DUN!!!…. (Side note: Need an HBO limited series about these detectives. Who else would watch?)

According to the report, David Jones is one of the most common British male names. So, did we really discover his true identity, or just another basic-ass white guy name? The investigation basically just confirms what was widely believed in 2008: Banksy is Robert Gunningham.

When the investigators confronted insiders from Banksy’s company, Pest Control, about the David Jones discovery, they responded that Banksy “has decided to say nothing.” Yeah…sounds like Banksy to me.

If it really is him, and the investigation is successful in hindering his anonymity and thus his art as a whole, it would be a shame. Can we just have one masked vandal without our compulsive need to unravel every mystery, ruining the fun

The whole thing feels like another classic Banksy prank, and I’m not falling for it—not like when his “Girl With Balloon” sold for $1.4 million and started shredding just after the sale.

This is just what Banksy wants us to think, it is all part of his grand master plan to do SOMETHING…I just haven’t figured it out yet. But probably…sell more art for even more money.