The year-long Reuters investigation alleges that Banksy is Robin Gunningham, a 52-year-old from Bristol in the United Kingdom, who reportedly changed his name to David Jones in 2008 in what the news agency describes as a deliberate effort to remain hidden in plain sight.
The investigation traced the origins of the artist's hidden identity through court files, immigration records, and eyewitness accounts stretching across several countries. One key document emerged from an arrest in New York in September 2000, when police caught a man altering a fashion billboard during New York Fashion Week. The handwritten confession tied to the incident identified the individual as Robin Gunningham, linking the name directly to activity long associated with Banksy's early career.
Reuters claims that in 2000, Banksy was in New York during Fashion Week, and a billboard for Marc Jacobs clothing had been erected on the roof of a brownstone apartment block, sporting the slogan "Boys Love Marc Jacobs". Friends of Banksy told Reuters that the artist had become intrigued by the billboard, and climbed on to the roof to alter the advertisement. Before Banksy could finish his work, it has been claimed, he was arrested by New York police officers, charged with misdemeanour, and forced to pay a fine of £247.
The significance of the 2000 arrest lies in what came next. Reuters unearthed previously undisclosed U.S. court records and police reports. These included a hand-written confession by the artist to a long-ago misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct that revealed, beyond dispute, Banksy's true identity. In his confession, Banksy called it "a humorous adjustment," before signing it as RG.
The investigation also points to more recent evidence. Immigration records show that 'David Jones', who has Gunningham's birth date, entered Ukraine in October 2022, around the same time Banksy's murals started appearing. Witnesses told reporters that two masked painters created the mural while accompanied by photographer Giles Duley. Immigration records later indicated that British musician Robert Del Naja, long rumored to be connected to Banksy, entered Ukraine at the same time as a man using the name David Jones, whose birth date reportedly matched Gunningham's.
Banksy's legal team has firmly rejected the investigation. Banksy's legal team has denied the claims and issued a warning that publishing the investigation could place the artist in genuine physical danger. The legal team urged the agency not to publish, arguing that doing so would violate the artist's privacy, interfere with his ability to work and, most critically, expose him to personal danger. In a statement, Banksy's longtime lawyer Mark Stephens told the outlet the elusive creator "does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct" after being presented with findings suggesting that he is Gunningham. Stephens also emphasised that Banksy's anonymity is crucial given that he has "been subjected to fixated, threatening and extremist behavior."
This is not the first time the name Robin Gunningham has been linked to Banksy. Reuters pointed to a 2008 investigation by the Daily Mail that had previously alleged Robin Gunningham was Banksy, treating it as an early data point that its own reporting has since reinforced with additional evidence. At the time, Banksy's representatives dismissed that report.
The new investigation represents a significantly broader body of sourcing than anything previously published, and the news agency has indicated it stood by the reporting despite legal pressure not to publish. Reuters stood by its investigation, concluding that the public "has a deep interest in understanding the identity and career of a figure with his profound and enduring influence on culture, the art industry, and international political discourse."
The question of whether revealing Banksy's identity changes the nature of his work or message remains unsettled. Banksy has 'been subjected to fixated, threatening and extremist behaviour', and unmasking him would also harm the public. Working 'anonymously or under a pseudonym serves vital societal interests,' the lawyer wrote, as 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.'