Would Banksy Finally Be Unmasked?

Renowned and hidden street artist Banksy, known for painting walls anonymously, has finally recently been identified and unmasked after years of remaining unknown to the public.

This well-known British artist successfully concealed his true identity, much like an undercover graffiti hero, until recently. It appears that Banksy may actually be Robin Gunningham, a former public schoolboy, reported Daily Star.

In 2008, the technology used to track criminals initially suggested Gunningham as a potential match for Banksy, but no further actions were taken to confirm these suspicions.

As of now, a legal lawsuit has been initiated against Robin Gunningham, aged 53, and Banksy, the renowned street artist, by graffiti pioneer Andrew Gallagher, aged 56.

The lawsuit is based on defamation claims, as reported by the DailyMail. In this legal case, the primary defendant is identified as Gunningham, and the secondary defendant is Banksy’s company, Pest Control Ltd.

The obscure street artist had previously attended Bristol Cathedral School, a prestigious institution with an annual fee of £9,240. The technology utilized to uncover his identity, commonly employed by law enforcement, is known as “geographic profiling.”

🚨 | Banksy could finally be unmasked as famous graffiti artist is named in court case

More below 👇 pic.twitter.com/oaczUADsTv

— LADbible (@ladbible) October 3, 2023

Gallagher’s attorney, Aaron Wood of Brandsmiths, has informed the DailyMail that the specifics of the lawsuit are confidential and will continue to be so until Banksy or Pest Control formally acknowledge the service of the lawsuit. Due to this confidentiality, he further stated, “I’m not at liberty to say any more about the claim.”

Queen Mary University experts identified ‘hotspots’ of Banksy in effort to unmask him

Banksy’s identity has remained a well-guarded secret for many years, with significant efforts made by the artist and his legal team to maintain that secrecy. Previously, there were reports that experts at Queen Mary University of London had attempted to uncover Banksy’s identity in order to unmask him.

They are believed to have employed a technology that involved identifying patterns between the locations where Banksy’s artworks consistently appeared and addresses associated with Robin Gunningham, reported Daily Star.

The researchers examined around 140 pieces of art attributed to Banksy, carefully studying works in both Bristol and London.

Through this analysis, they identified “hotspots” where Banksy’s work frequently appeared and used these patterns to potentially unveil the artist’s true identity.

Banksy strikes again! A small town bakery turns into a tourist hotspot overnight, thanks to his unexpected artwork. The power of art to transform lives! #Banksy #ArtDiscovery #EconomyBooster pic.twitter.com/JAQp4fGZkf

— HistTwist (@HistTwist) September 11, 2023

The study indicated that the hotspots closely corresponded to addresses where Robin Gunningham had lived. Steve Le Comber, one of the co-authors of the study, commented, “I’d be surprised if it’s not [Gunningham], even without our analysis—but it’s interesting that the analysis offers additional support for it.”

He further explained that, initially, he had intended to identify the ten most likely suspects in an effort to unmask Banksy, evaluate them all, and refrain from naming any. However, as the analysis progressed, it became evident that there was only one significant candidate.