Did Ukraine reveal Banksy’s identity, and would that change his value?
Recently, the media revealed details about the most elusive and mysterious artist of our time, who has been hiding under the nickname Banksy for years. His work is distinguished by the stencil style, which was designed for a fast workflow to avoid police harassment. The personality of the infamous street master has remained in the shadows until now. And even after an investigation, it is problematic to confirm its results, because full disclosure can devalue Banksy’s works and undermine the mystery surrounding the creator’s image.
Glory of the incognito artist
Banksy has long been considered the most mysterious and discussed street artist. According to the idea of his work, they strike at acute socio-political issues, causing a public outcry. Banksy developed his own technique using stencils and spray paint. His drawings are always symbolic and loaded with social issues. Traditionally, the author’s attention is focused on the vices of the current consumer society, innocent victims of wars, global warming, animal welfare, etc.
Banksy managed to bring graffiti to the level of decent art. He has been engaged in street painting since the late 90s, becoming bigger, bolder, and more popular every year. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. The world learned about Banksy when the artist literally put his work on the walls of the world’s largest museums. The staff of the British Museum did not immediately discover the graffiti that had been illegally entered into the exhibition.
Absolute anonymity is an integral part of Banksy’s image. Despite the results of a number of investigations, there are still no reliable facts about the artist’s identity. Just assumptions. This man masterfully hides under the mask of a monkey and always wears a black hoodie. Banksy’s pursuers tend to believe that he hails from Bristol. The artist’s graffiti, dating back to the 90s, has been discovered in this English town. The author’s most famous works include “Kissing Constables,” an image of Charles Manson, the inscription “One Nation under video surveillance,” and an image of a little girl under the motto “No Future.” Banksy prefers subjects with rats, monkeys, police officers, and the color of the royal family.
In addition to two-dimensional works, Banksy is fond of installations. One of the most striking depicts an elephant painted with Victorian wallpaper. This work has caused controversy among animal rights activists. Banksy likes to distort classic images. An example is a version of a Monet painting with water lilies, modified to draw attention to drifting debris. According to UK law, Banksy’s graphics are subject to vandalism, but despite this, the works go to auctions for a lot of money. Stencils help the artist save time and reduce the likelihood of going to jail.
The police are in action
The art criminal has long turned into the most expensive graffiti artist in the world. His works have been collected by Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Christina Aguilera. When the latter bought Banksy’s work with Queen Victoria in an inappropriate way, interest in street art grew, and the term “Banksy effect” appeared. Each new graffiti artist’s work was valued at huge sums for street art. In 2007, a drawing of the “Bombing of Central England” depicting pensioners playing bowling with bombs sold for 102,000 pounds. And then the record was broken by “The Space Girl and the Bird”.
Banksy’s drawings are found not only at auctions or on city streets. The unpredictable graffiti artist has repeatedly shocked ordinary passersby with his performances. In 2013, he organized an anonymous sale of drawings at the entrance to New York’s Central Park, offering paintings for $60. Random buyers got 8 of his original paintings. In an attempt to identify the scandalous identity of Banksy, experts from Queen Mary University of London used a geographic profiling technique. In this way, British criminologists determined the location of serial criminals.
Experts analyzed the locations of 140 graffiti, which were conditionally attributed to Banksy, and concluded that more often the drawings appeared near one of Bristol’s pubs, near sports grounds and playing fields within the same residential area. After that, it was calculated that Robin Gunningham, a graduate of the local public school, lived in those places.
Who is Banksy Jones?
Today, the Bristol native’s name is David Jones. Naturally, he changed his passport information for secrecy. The results of their conclusions were published by journalists from the Reuters news agency and The Mail on Sunday tabloid. Back in 2008, journalists wrote that their investigation was close to revealing the identity. During the search for clues, dozens of people were interviewed, various documents were analyzed, and “digital traces” of the elusive Banksy were found.
As a result, the artist himself helped the journalists by providing the main clue. Banksy was arrested by the New York police, who detained him because of illegal graffiti on an advertising banner at 675 Hudson Street. Robin Gunningham confessed to the security forces, as Reuters wrote. It is this name that is repeatedly mentioned in the protocols of confessions, court documents, and several papers related to that arrest.
In 2022, the name of David Jones surfaced, who went on to make a series of stencil murals in Ukraine. Having gained access to information on immigration procedures, Reuters found out that a man with the surname Jones crossed the border in the company of Massive Attack frontman Robert Del Naja, who also participated in the creation of graffiti. The date of birth in Jones’ passport matched Robin Gunningham’s data exactly. But there is another version of Banksy’s identity. Presumably, this is not one person, but a group of artists. This fully explains the vast geography of the artist’s works and their number.
