Translated with AI
Following a multi-year investigation, Reuters journalists announced that they had identified the street artist known as Banksy.
According to the investigation, the artist's real name is David Jones. However, journalists note that this information appears in his documents after he changed his name several years ago. Previously, they believe, he was known as Robin Gunningham.
Fans and media outlets have been trying to identify the artist for decades. In 2008, the British newspaper The Mail on Sunday suggested that Banksy might be Robin Gunningham. The newspaper noted at the time that, after a year-long investigation, journalists were as close to uncovering the artist's identity as possible.
As Reuters journalists note, in their attempts to establish the artist's identity, they spoke with more than a dozen insiders and experts. Although none of them commented directly on Banksy's identity, many shared details about his life and career.
Journalists also examined photographs of the artist and discovered previously unpublished court documents and police reports related to his arrest early in his career in the United States. Details of his 2022 trip to Ukraine were also examined.
According to journalists, the results of the investigation were sent to Banksy himself, but no response was received. His lawyer, Mark Stephens, told journalists that he disagreed with many of the details contained in their request, but would neither confirm nor deny the information discovered.
At the same time, as Reuters notes, Stevens urged journalists not to publish the results of the investigation, saying that this could violate the artist's privacy, interfere with his creativity and put him in danger.
Earlier, in 2023, the BBC published a previously unaired radio interview with Banksy, recorded in 2003 before his first major exhibition in London. In this interview, the artist gave his first known name, saying, "I'm Robbie."
