Overview
- Reuters cites a 2000 New York police report and court filing that describe a man matching Robin Gunningham’s details confessing to altering a billboard and listing the Carlton Arms Hotel as his address.
- Public records reviewed by Reuters indicate Gunningham legally changed his name to David Jones, with travel evidence placing a person using that identity in Ukraine in late 2022 as new Banksy murals appeared.
- Banksy’s lawyer, Mark Stephens, disputes parts of the reporting and says publication infringes privacy, jeopardizes safety, and interferes with the artist’s work.
- Pest Control, the entity that authenticates Banksy’s work, declined to confirm the identification and said the artist has decided to say nothing.
- Observers note the findings largely align with a 2008 tabloid report and a 2016 academic study linking Banksy to Gunningham, while no confirmation from the artist or legal action has emerged.