What is Banksy's name: an interview with the real name of the famous artist has surfaced on the Internet

A lost 2003 interview with street artist Banksy has been discovered. It contains the only known instance of him revealing his name, reports Guardian.

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There are almost as many myths and legends about graffiti artist and street art professional Banksy as about Shakespeare. For many years, half the world has been trying to find out who had a hand in an aerosol can. His paintings are primarily characterized by criticism of society and have the status of real works of art. Anyone who sees the real Banksy, or even better, even sees his work on the wall of their house, will be hugely lucky.

In 2003, Banksy was a young street artist when his first major exhibition, Turf War, took place in London.

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On the eve of the opening, BBC journalist Nigel Wrench spoke with Banksy - this is one of the artist's first interviews, reports Meduza.

In July 2023, the BBC released a ten-part podcast, The Banksy Story. After listening to him, Wrench studied his archival materials and found an interview there from 2003 - it was published on November 21 as a bonus episode.

Early in the conversation, Wrench asked Banksy if he could call him “by the name the Independent used.” The artist replied that this would suit him, after which the journalist asked again: “Robert Banks, right?” “I’m Robbie,” the hero replied. When editing the interview, this moment was cut out - it did not make it into the final version of the radio broadcast.

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There have long been rumors about the true identity of the street artist, whose works are valued at tens of millions of dollars and appear on the walls of houses, in prestigious art galleries and even on the separation wall in the West Bank.

Versions

It has been thought in the past that Banksy could be one of these people: Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja, Art Attack's Neil Buchanan and even Pembroke Dock councilor Billy Gannon.

In 2008, the Daily Mail "unmasked" Banksy as Robin Gunningham, although the artist denied this. In 2016, this version was confirmed by scientists from Queen Mary University of London - they came to this conclusion after conducting a study using geographic profiling. This is a method that is used in criminology to catch criminals. It is based on the assumption that criminals commit offenses close to their place of residence. Therefore, analysis of the geography of crimes allows us to determine the address of the suspect, or at least identify several possible addresses.

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The Sunday Times later wrote that Gunningham originally worked under the name Robin Banks, which later became Banksy.

The ongoing lawsuit threatens to reveal his full name. Banksy is being sued by a company that claims he "severely damaged" its reputation with an Instagram post in 2022. It said: “Attention all shoplifters! Please stop by Guess on Regent Street. They used my work without permission; what’s wrong if you do the same with their clothes?”

The brand has released a collection dedicated to the work of Banksy. It includes jackets, T-shirts, coats, jeans and other clothing items for adults and children, decorated with prints and embroideries with some of the artist's graffiti. On the occasion of the presentation of new products, Guess used the work of the artist “Flower Thrower” in the design of the store window on Regent Street.

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