Revealed: This is Banksy’s REAL identity, and why he’s suddenly been unmasked now

For decades, who Banksy is has been one of the UK’s biggest mysteries. And now, on this random day in March 2026, it has finally been solved.

His art has been popping up on the streets of not only England but the world since the early 1990s, and he’s never publicly confirmed his identity. But a new report published by Reuters on 13th March has allegedly unmasked him: Robin Gunningham, a 51-year-old man from Bristol.

This name has been circling the internet for years, but this is the first time there has ever been any proof. And it’s all thanks to a piece of art he did in Ukraine. In 2022, three men jumped out of an ambulance and spray-painted a bearded man in a bathtub on the side of a bombed apartment building. After that, Reuters journalists went on a mission to unmask the artist once and for all.

They searched long and hard for evidence and claim to have found a previously undisclosed police report from when Banksy was arrested in New York in 2000 for defacing a billboard. This “hand-written confession by the artist to a long-ago misdemeanour charge of disorderly conduct” was the key to proving his identity after so many decades.

Credit: SWNS

According to the report, his signature is on the paper, and the name Robin Gunningham is repeatedly mentioned in court and police documents related to the arrest. Gunningham allegedly changed his name to David Jones, one of the most common British male names, in 2008 to stop himself being identified.

The report published by Reuters claims they contacted Banksy’s company, Pest Control, and his lawyer Mark Stephens refused to confirm or deny Banksy’s identity, but urged them not to publish the report as it would violate the artist’s privacy, interfere with his art, put him in danger and harm the public.

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“Working anonymously or under a pseudonym serves vital societal interests. It protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution – particularly when addressing sensitive issues such as politics, religion or social justice,” the lawyer said.

However, the report concluded that “the public has a deep interest in understanding the identity and career of a figure with his profound and enduring influence on culture, the art industry and international political discourse,” so the news agency decided to release his name anyway.

A fake photo is circling the internet that people are saying is Robin Gunningham, but it’s actually a Greek-Cypriot builder from London who was incorrectly identified as Banksy by tabloids a few years ago.

Credit: SWNS

At the time of writing this, Banksy hasn’t responded to the investigation and unmasking of his identity. The Tab has reached out to him for comment.

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Featured image credit: SWNS