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Alleged Banksy artwork in Bethnal Green, east London.
Alleged Banksy artwork in Bethnal Green, east London.
Graffiti Artist Banksy Unmasked as Robin Gunningham
July 14, 2008 12:23 PM
by
Liz Colville
The identity of the admired British graffiti artist was “known to only a handful of trusted friends”—until now.
30-Second Summary
The U.K.’s Mail on Sunday believes it has revealed the true identity of Banksy, the graffiti artist whose work has drawn a diverse crowd and six-figure sales to A-list celebrities. His name is Robin Gunningham.
The Mail writes that after a year of investigation, it can reveal Banksy as, “perhaps all too predictably, a former public schoolboy brought up in middle-class suburbia.”
Interviewing a man from Banksy’s alleged hometown of Bristol, using a photo of a graffiti artist taken in Jamaica in 2004, the Mail gleaned further information about his identity from public records, and tracked down former schoolmates and a teacher, who described Gunningham as a “gifted” artist. Former roommates and Bristol residents filled in further details, though the parents of Robin Gunningham were cagey when interviewed by the Mail.
Banksy is known for his highly critical depictions of war, race relations and royalty, often “remixing” classic works by artists such as Manet. In one of his most famous public exhibits, Banksy wandered into the Tate dressed as an elderly person and glued a picture to the museum wall in protest of the Iraq War.
Though some see the identification of Banksy as a denouement in the artist’s career—out of modesty and a disinterest in being considered an artist, Banksy has long desired anonymity—others contend that the status will not change the caché or value of Banksy’s work.
The Mail writes that after a year of investigation, it can reveal Banksy as, “perhaps all too predictably, a former public schoolboy brought up in middle-class suburbia.”
Interviewing a man from Banksy’s alleged hometown of Bristol, using a photo of a graffiti artist taken in Jamaica in 2004, the Mail gleaned further information about his identity from public records, and tracked down former schoolmates and a teacher, who described Gunningham as a “gifted” artist. Former roommates and Bristol residents filled in further details, though the parents of Robin Gunningham were cagey when interviewed by the Mail.
Banksy is known for his highly critical depictions of war, race relations and royalty, often “remixing” classic works by artists such as Manet. In one of his most famous public exhibits, Banksy wandered into the Tate dressed as an elderly person and glued a picture to the museum wall in protest of the Iraq War.
Though some see the identification of Banksy as a denouement in the artist’s career—out of modesty and a disinterest in being considered an artist, Banksy has long desired anonymity—others contend that the status will not change the caché or value of Banksy’s work.
Headline Link: ‘Graffiti artist Banksy unmasked ... as a former public schoolboy from middle-class suburbia’
The extensive research by the Mail's reporters yielded no definitive conclusions, but a number of records and descriptions by people who claim to know Banksy or Robin Gunningham, or both, led the paper to claim it has come “as close as anyone possibly can” to discovering Banksy’s true identity.
Source: The Mail on Sunday
Background: Banksy exhibits, publishes, and talks anonymously
Banksy is, like many graffiti artists, under threat from the police, and his politically charged works only add an element of risk to his career. Nonetheless, for over a decade Banksy has been able to publish books, give interviews, earn a significant income from his work, and become perhaps the most famous graffiti artist in the world.
Source: Brian Sewell Art Directory
Steve Wright’s unofficial biography of Banksy, released earlier this year, provided more clues in the Mail's search. “Banksy’s Bristol: Home Sweet Home” delves into the city that Banksy grew up in during the 1980s, a place that raised the key British bands Portishead and Massive Attack, and which saw the importation of graffiti from the United States by local artists during Banksy’s youth.
Source: Clash Music
The New York-based blog Gawker conducted a (less extensive) investigation of its own earlier this year, purporting that the identity of Banksy was the “alter ego” of Nick Walter, a street artist already famous under his proper name. But blogger Hamilton Nolan disclaims that his investigation “started with an unsolicited tip. It has only a handful of sources. Theoretically, any of them could be lying, exaggerating, or misinformed.” Gawker admitted in a later post following the Mail on Sunday article that the link between Walter and Banksy is increasingly unlikely.
Source: Gawker
Opinions & Analysis: The status of street art; blowing Banksy’s cover
Michael Collings asked what all the fuss is about in an op-ed in the Times of London earlier this year, claiming that Banksy’s chief genre of “street art” is debasing art as a whole. Artwork, including Banksy’s, is, in Collings’s opinion, “only valuable because of a market consensus, not because they connect to anything important. Most of life is made up of trivia, and there’s nothing wrong with celebrating it. But it’s something else again to revere it as if it’s the pyramids.”
Source: The Times of London
Francesca Gavin of The Guardian writes that Banksy’s alleged identity, which she calls “pretty dull,” is only of import to the public because of his celebrity status. “The question of the artist’s anonymity seized the public—and more importantly the media—when he first started making serious money. And that’s the main issue. The secrecy of Banksy’s identity seems to be much more about the public’s fascination with celebrity and money than anything to do with art.”
Source: The Guardian Art & Architecture Blog
Banksy told Swindle magazine that he never intended to reveal his identity. “I have no interest in ever coming out. I’m just trying to make the pictures look good; I’m not into trying to make myself look good. And besides, it’s a pretty safe bet that the reality of me would be a crushing disappointment to a couple of 15-year-old kids out there.”
Source: The Independent (U.K.)
Reference: Banksy’s official Web site
On his official site, Banksy exhibits photographs of some of his indoor and outdoor artwork, his film contributions, manifestos and an online store for purchasing prints.
Source: Banksy.co.uk
© 2009 Dulcinea Media, Inc.
