Identity Of Mysterious Street Artist Banksy Reportedly Uncovered After Years Of Speculation

The identity of the well-known street artist Banksy may finally have been uncovered after years of speculation.

Banksy’s work first began appearing in the 1990s. One of the earliest pieces that gained major attention was The Mild Mild West, which appeared in Bristol in the United Kingdom.

Over time, many of his artworks became widely recognized around the world.

Among the most famous examples are Girl with Balloon from 2002, along with other well-known works such as Flower Thrower, Choose Your Weapon, Laugh Now, and Kissing Coppers.

Many of Banksy’s artworks appear in the United Kingdom, although the artist has also created pieces in locations around the world.

His graffiti has appeared in the United States, France, Jerusalem, and Ukraine, among other places.

For years, people have believed that Banksy is British, but his true identity has remained a mystery.

That mystery may now be closer to being solved.

After Banksy created several artworks in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2022 during the ongoing war with Russia, Reuters began investigating the artist’s background.

The outlet now believes it may have identified the person behind the famous pseudonym.

Some of Banksy's artwork popped up in Ukraine in 2022 Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

According to Reuters, Banksy could be a man named Robin Gunningham.

One clue that helped investigators piece the puzzle together came from police records in the United States.

The records show that a man using this name was arrested in September 2000 after allegedly defacing a billboard on top of a building at 675 Hudson Street in New York City.

However, reports suggest that Gunningham may have legally changed his name later.

According to the investigation, it has been suggested that he began using the name David Jones in 2008.

If that change did take place, the choice may have been deliberate.

The name is extremely common in the United Kingdom, which would make it a useful way to avoid attention.

"In 2017, for example, there were about 6,000 men named David Jones in the UK, according to data analyzed by GBG, an identity-data intelligence company. David Jones also is the given name of David Bowie, whose Ziggy Stardust alter ego inspired a Banksy portrait of Queen Elizabeth," Reuters writes.

The investigation also found another interesting detail connected with Banksy’s work in Ukraine.

Around the time that several new murals appeared in Kyiv in 2022, a man using the name David Jones reportedly entered the country on October 28.

A source who spoke with the news outlet said the birthdate listed on the passport used by this David Jones matches the birthdate associated with Robin Gunningham.

Banksy's portrait of the Queen, as seen at the Banksy Limitless Exhibition in London Joe Maher/Getty Images

Another piece of information seemed to support the theory that the artist may have changed his name.

Banksy’s former manager, Stephen Lazarides, told Reuters: "There is no Robin Gunningham. The name you've got I killed years ago."

At the same time, Banksy’s long-time lawyer Mark Stephens issued a statement that pushed back against parts of the investigation.

Stephens said that Banksy “does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct.”

Although he did not directly confirm or deny the claims about the artist’s identity, he urged Reuters not to publish the investigation.

He argued that revealing such information could violate the artist’s privacy, interfere with his creative work, and potentially put him in danger.

One of the artist's most recent pieces was in London, UK, in December 2025 Leon Neal/Getty Images

Stephens also explained why the artist has chosen to work under a pseudonym for so many years.

"It protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution – particularly when addressing sensitive issues such as politics, religion or social justice."

'Girl with Balloon' is one of the artist's best-known works Steve Christo/Corbis via Getty Images

A timeline of the rise of Banksy

1990s

Banksy’s artwork first began appearing across parts of Bristol in the United Kingdom.

One of the earliest pieces in the city mocked Vladimir Lenin. The stencil showed the former Soviet leader wearing a punk-style mohawk and a hoop earring.

One of his earliest well-known pieces was Mild Mild West, which showed a teddy bear throwing a Molotov cocktail at police officers dressed in riot gear.

2000s

During the early 2000s, Banksy’s now famous stencil art featuring monkeys and rats began appearing around London and other parts of the United Kingdom.

Laugh Now appeared in 2002 after the artist was commissioned by Ocean Rooms nightclub in Brighton.

The artwork shows a chimpanzee wearing a sandwich board that reads: "Laugh now, but one day we'll be in charge."

The same year also saw the appearance of what later became Banksy’s most famous piece, Girl with Balloon.

The artwork first appeared on London’s Waterloo Bridge before later appearing in Shoreditch.

Other well-known pieces created during the 2000s include Kissing Coppers, Grim Reaper, Flower Thrower, and One Nation Under CCTV.

2010s and onwards

Banksy’s Gorilla in a Pink Mask appeared in 2011.

The mural was later accidentally painted over, although the artwork in Eastville, Bristol was restored afterward.

During the 2010s, the artist also began creating pieces outside of London and Bristol.

In 2018 he created a mural titled Season’s Greetings in Wales.

The artwork showed the contents of a trash container burning while a child stuck out their tongue to catch the falling ash, mistaking it for snow.

The following year another festive-themed piece appeared in Birmingham.

A homeless man was sleeping on a bench when Banksy added graffiti of two reindeer painted so they looked as if they were pulling the bench like a sleigh.

In 2022 Banksy’s artwork began appearing across Ukraine.

The artist created a series of seven anti-war murals across the country, many of them in Kyiv.

Several of the pieces were painted directly onto buildings that had been damaged during the war between Ukraine and Russia.