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  • 7 hours ago
Banksy’s identity may not be a mystery for much longer.

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00:02These murals that you see on the walls, they are by Banksy. His identity, one of the world's biggest
00:07art mysteries may have finally been revealed. Investigators say the elusive street artist
00:12could be Robin Gunningham, a man from Bristol who has long been suspected of being behind the name.
00:18The biggest clue comes from a 2000 New York police record. Robin was arrested for defacing
00:23a Marc Jacobs billboard and even signed a confession. Born in the 1970s, Robin grew up
00:29in the city's suburbs and was linked to Bristol's underground graffiti scene in the 1990s.
00:34Over the years, friends, former classmates and researchers have pointed to him as a likely
00:39candidate, noting his artistic skills, movements and connections. Recent investigations suggest
00:45he may have later used the name David Jones, possibly to continue working anonymously.
00:50Banksy first appeared in the 1990s, coming out of Bristol's underground graffiti scene.
00:55He became known for stencil art that could appear overnight, often before anyone could
01:00stop him. His work is instantly recognizable. A girl letting go of a balloon, a protester throwing
01:06flowers instead of Molotovs, rats, riot police, children. Sharp, satirical, political and always
01:13anonymous.
01:14Over the years, others have been suggested as Banksy. Robert Del Naja from Massive Attack
01:19because of his two locations sometimes matched where murals appeared. Jamie Hewlett, co-creator
01:24of Gorillaz because of the stylistic and artistic ties. Even less likely names like Neil Buchanan
01:30or Theory Getter have been floated. Some theories even suggest Banksy could be a collective, not
01:36a single person. Whether Robin Gunninghoff really is Banksy may never be officially confirmed.
01:41The artist is never acknowledged and his representatives deny it. But his latest evidence, the police
01:48record, travel links and decades of speculation gives the world its clearest glimpse yet at
01:53the man behind the murals.
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