The identity of the most mysterious artist in the world was revealed because of Ukraine

The appearance of graffiti on the wall of a house in the Ukrainian village of Gorenka near Kiev was the main key moment in revealing the identity of the world's most famous British street artist Banksy. A large-scale investigation to establish the real name of the artist was conducted by the Reuters portal.

Journalists have been researching the artist's documents, trips and his connections with the art industry for almost a year. Companies and structures related to the management and sale of Banksy's works were also analyzed.

The publication claims that Banksy is probably the British artist Robin Gunningham, who was born in Bristol in 1973, as previously assumed. In 2008, this name was mentioned in an investigation by the British tabloid The Mail on Sunday, but after the article was published, Gunningham disappeared. But to preserve anonymity, he changed his name to the standard and unremarkable David Jones.

The investigation revealed that a man named David Jones with the same date of birth as Gunningham, drove into Ukraine as part of the group, along with the co-founder of the Massive Attack group, Robert del Naya, who is considered to be associated with Banksy. In the same company on Documentary photographer Gile Duley has arrived in Ukraine.

"October 28, 2022, the day of entry of Duleigh and Del Nye on Ukraine, a certain "David Jones" crossed the border in the same place, according to a source familiar with immigration procedures. The source also told us the date of birth indicated in Jones' passport. It coincided with the date of birth of Robin Gunningham, " the publication explains.

Then the artist published on his page in the social network seven graffiti from different points on Ukraine. This is how he traditionally confirms the authorship of his works.

In addition, Reuters used the New York police archives, which preserved data on the arrest of Robert Gunningham in 2000 for graffiti on a billboard. It is known that in those years Banksy often visited the USA. Then he was brought to justice for damage to property. That case contains a confession written by the artist in his own hand.

"We found previously unpublished records of American courts and police reports. Among them was the artist's handwritten confession of a long—standing minor offense — violation of public order - a document that irrefutably revealed the true identity of Banksy, "the publication says.

The artist himself, to whom the investigation was sent, traditionally did not answer questions about his personality and career. Banksy's company, Pest Control, said the artist "decided not to say anything."

His longtime lawyer, Mark Stevens, wrote to the publication that Banksy "disagrees with many of the details contained in the investigation." Without confirming or refuting the identity of Banksy, Stevens urged not to publish the investigation, saying that it would violate the artist's privacy, interfere with his work and put him in danger.

"This protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak the truth to the authorities without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution, especially when discussing sensitive issues such as politics, religion or social justice," Banksy's lawyer emphasized.

For years, Stevens wrote, Banksy had been "subjected to intrusive, threatening, and extremist behavior." Working "anonymously or under a pseudonym serves a vital public interest," he wrote.

"He was once a source of annoyance to the authorities, who considered him a vandal, but now he has become a national treasure of Great Britain. In one survey, the British rated his popularity higher than that of Rembrandt and Monet. In another survey, his painting "Girl with a Balloon" was recognized as his favorite work of art created in the UK," the publication says.

As reported by EADaily, Banksy's works were first noticed in the 1990s, when he was part of the DryBreadZ Crew graffiti artist group. One of the first works to become widely known was graffiti on the wall of one of the houses in Bristol, The Mild Mild West, which depicts a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at three special forces. The most expensive work of Banksy was "Love in the trash can" or "Girl With balloon" (Girl With Balloon), which was sold for $ 24.5 million. During the bidding, the work was partially destroyed by a shredder built into the frame.

In November 2023, the BBC claimed that the artist had named his name back in 2003, but it simply did not get into the interview.

The correspondent asked if he could call the interlocutor Robert Banks, to which he replied: "Robbie." The interview was given on the eve of the opening of the artist's exhibition in London Turf War.

The phrase in which Banksy calls his name was not included in the final interview, and the journalist found the recording on the minidisc at home just now.