Banksy Identity Revealed?
Despite Hollywood elite buying his paintings and worldwide fame for stunts like placing a Guantanamo […]
Despite Hollywood elite buying his paintings and worldwide fame for stunts like placing a Guantanamo Bay prisoner replica at Disneyland, Banksy has remained an elusive figure in the art world.
However, U.K.-based news source The Mail claims to have uncovered the identity of the famed guerrilla artist. According to the BBC, the paper says Banksy is 34-year-old Robin Gunningham, and this information was found by tracing a Peter Dean Rickards photograph that showed Banksy at work in 2004 in Jamaica. Peter Dean Acquaintances supposedly confirmed the person in the photo to be Gunningham.
Naturally, debate has ensued over whether or not the picture is legitimately of the Bristol-born artist, with different parties claiming different sides of the issue. Banksy’s spokesperson declined to comment, saying “I never confirm or deny these stories.”
Above: Banksy’s Barely Legal show in downtown Los Angeles in 2006. To see more pictures from the exhibition, click here.