For more than two decades, the identity of the mysterious street artist Banksy has remained one of the biggest unsolved puzzles in modern culture. The anonymous artist built a global reputation with provocative stencil murals, political commentary and multi-million-dollar auction sales while carefully hiding his real name.
Now a detailed 2026 investigation by Reuters claims to have uncovered the strongest evidence yet that Banksy is Robin Gunningham, a graffiti artist from Bristol, England, born in 1973. The report traces a complex trail of clues — from a bomb-damaged Ukrainian village to old police records in New York — suggesting the famous artist may have quietly changed identities years ago while continuing to produce artwork around the world.
The Ukraine murals that reopened the mystery
The investigation began after several Banksy murals appeared in Ukraine in 2022. One of the most striking pieces showed a bearded man sitting in a bathtub, scrubbing his back inside a destroyed apartment building in the village of Horenka near Kyiv. The mural was created just months after Russian forces withdrew from the area.
Witnesses in the village described how an ambulance arrived at the ruined building carrying three people. Two wore masks and carried cardboard stencils while spray-painting the mural onto the wall. The third person accompanying them was documentary photographer Giles Duley, who lost both legs and an arm while covering war zones and now runs the Legacy of War Foundation.
Residents told reporters that they briefly saw the masked painters without their face coverings. When Reuters later showed locals a lineup of photos of several artists rumored to be Banksy, their reactions suggested that one of the men involved might have been Robert Del Naja, the musician and graffiti artist from the band Massive Attack.
Del Naja has long been rumored to be Banksy himself. However, the investigation suggests a different conclusion: he may instead be a collaborator or friend who occasionally works with the artist.
Travel records reveal a possible alias
Immigration sources told Reuters that Del Naja entered Ukraine from Poland on October 28, 2022 — shortly before the murals began appearing. But another person also crossed the border that same day under the name David Jones.
According to the report, the passport used by David Jones listed the same birth date as Robin Gunningham. The man using that name later left Ukraine on November 2, the same day Del Naja departed the country.
Investigators believe this could explain why there was no official record of Robin Gunningham traveling to Ukraine at the time. Former Banksy manager Steve Lazarides reportedly told Reuters that Gunningham had legally changed his name years earlier to help preserve his anonymity.
“The name you’ve got I killed years ago,” Lazarides reportedly said when asked about Gunningham. The investigation suggests the new identity could be David Jones — one of the most common names in the United Kingdom.
The New York arrest that revealed the name
Perhaps the most significant evidence uncovered in the investigation comes from a little-known graffiti arrest in New York in September 2000. At the time, police caught a man painting over a fashion billboard on the roof of 675 Hudson Street in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District.
Authorities charged the man with criminal damage because the vandalism caused more than $1,500 in damage. According to court documents reviewed by Reuters, the suspect confessed to defacing the billboard and signed the statement with the name Robin Gunningham.
The charges were later reduced to disorderly conduct. The man paid a fine, completed five days of community service and was released.
At the time of the arrest, Banksy was not yet widely known. But the documents provide what Reuters describes as the first undisputed official record connecting the pseudonym Banksy to the real name Robin Gunningham.
Early life clues in Bristol
School records from Bristol Cathedral School also support the theory. Archived student magazines mention Gunningham frequently, highlighting his artistic talent, acting performances and athletic achievements.
One early comic strip he created as a child appeared in the school publication, showing that he was already experimenting with graphic storytelling years before the Banksy persona emerged.
Friends from the Bristol graffiti scene also recall a young artist experimenting with stencil techniques in the 1990s. Those methods later became Banksy’s signature style, allowing him to create complex artwork quickly while avoiding police detection.
The role of Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja
The investigation also explores the long-running rumor that Robert Del Naja, known as the graffiti artist “3D,” might be Banksy. Del Naja helped pioneer stencil art in the UK and grew up in the same Bristol scene.
In interviews, Banksy has even credited Del Naja as an inspiration. Some analysts believe the two artists occasionally collaborate on projects.
That possibility gained attention after music producer Goldie once referred to Banksy as “Rob” during a podcast interview — a comment many fans interpreted as a reference to Del Naja.
However, Reuters says the available evidence suggests Del Naja is not Banksy himself but has likely worked alongside the artist at times.
The business empire behind the anonymous artist
Beyond the identity mystery, Banksy has also built a powerful business network. His works have generated enormous demand among collectors, with the secondary art market producing an estimated $248.8 million in sales since 2015.
The key organization controlling this market is Pest Control Office, the official body responsible for authenticating Banksy artworks. Without certification from Pest Control, many galleries and auction houses refuse to sell pieces claimed to be by the artist.
This centralized authentication process effectively gives Banksy and his team enormous influence over the value and circulation of his work.
According to corporate filings examined by Reuters, companies connected to the artist have also accumulated millions in assets. Details of the investigation and business structure can be explored in the original Reuters report and additional coverage of the global art market at ArtTactic.
The famous auction stunt that shocked the art world
Banksy’s ability to surprise audiences was famously demonstrated in 2018 when his painting “Girl With Balloon” was sold at Sotheby’s for $1.4 million. Moments after the hammer fell, the artwork began shredding itself inside its frame using a hidden device installed by the artist.
The stunt shocked collectors and instantly turned the piece into a cultural phenomenon. Renamed “Love is in the Bin,” the partially shredded artwork later sold for roughly $25 million.
Witnesses at the auction later reported seeing a man wearing unusual glasses that appeared to contain a hidden camera — possibly capturing the moment for Banksy’s later video release.
Will Banksy confirm the identity?
Despite the extensive investigation, Banksy himself has not confirmed the claims. His lawyer reportedly warned that revealing the artist’s identity could endanger him and undermine the creative freedom that anonymity provides.
For many fans, the mystery remains part of Banksy’s artistic power. The ability to appear anywhere, create a mural overnight and disappear again has become central to the legend.
Whether or not the name Robin Gunningham is eventually accepted as Banksy’s true identity, the investigation has revealed something equally fascinating: behind the anonymous graffiti artist is a complex world of collaborators, secret travel, corporate structures and one of the most unusual art careers in modern history.
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