The world’s most famous anonymous street artist, Banksy, may finally have his identity unmasked after decades of speculation. A year-long investigation by a team of journalists claims the elusive artist is Robin Gunningham, who reportedly now operates under the name David Jones.

According to reports from Reuters, investigators examined every public statement Banksy has made, interviewed more than a dozen insiders, and obtained previously sealed court documents and police files in their effort to identify him. However, the artist’s long-time lawyer, Mark Stephens, has not confirmed the claim. Stephens stated that Banksy "does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct" and urged Reuters not to publish the findings, citing potential risks to the artist’s privacy, work, and safety.

The investigative team reportedly narrowed their search using several lines of evidence. They spoke to residents in Ukraine, where Banksy created seven murals in 2022, and showed them photos of potential suspects. They also cross-referenced immigration records, noting that a David Jones entered Ukraine on the exact dates Banksy’s photographers were there. Additional records revealed that David Jones shares a birth date with Robin Gunningham. Arrest records from New York in 2000 further revealed what investigators describe as a signed confession linked to Gunningham after an arrest for vandalising a Marc Jacobs advertisement.

This is not the first time Robin Gunningham’s name has been linked to Banksy. In 2008, a Mail On Sunday investigation identified him as a former public schoolboy from Bristol, publishing a photograph of a man with spray cans in Jamaica in 2004, allegedly Gunningham. The artist has also been thought to use the pseudonym Robin Banks, and DJ Goldie referred to him as “Rob” in a 2017 podcast interview.

Local Banksy enthusiasts claim recent sightings add fuel to the speculation. One fan told the Daily Mail: "I have been going to the mural for a whole week. On Saturday there were more security fences and CCTV up and a few people putting Perspex over the artwork. I went back at 10am to go have another look at what they were doing and saw this man who looks exactly like the photo I saw 20 years ago of Banksy. I found it weird he was putting up his own Perspex."

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