A mystery man spotted at the scene of Banksy’s latest work has quashed speculation that he is the elusive street artist.
The art world and social media were briefly buzzing with claims that the famous Bristol graffiti artist had been photographed at his latest mural on the side of a building on Hornsey Road in Finsbury Park, north London.
The artwork, a splash of green paint on a wall made to look like a real tree in front of it has foliage, as well as a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose, was confirmed by Banksy on his Instagram to be his after it appeared on 18 March.
Fans claimed a man photographed on Saturday working at the mural, which was defaced with two streaks of white paint by vandals, bore a strong resemblance to Robin Gunningham, who the Mail on Sunday claimed was the real Banksy in 2008.
However, the man in the photo at the latest mural has spoken out, saying he is not Banksy but the father of the building’s landlord.
George Georgiou told The Sun: “It’s nonsense. I’m the landlord’s father. I know nothing at all about the work.”
He said he had spent nearly £2,500 installing perspex on the mural and has organised 24-hour security to protect it from vandals, who defaced it just two days after it appeared.
He said: “I’d like to get a roller and go over it, get it over and done with, just paint it. It’s not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination.”
His son, Alex Georgiou, whose company owns the building with the mural on, said when it was discovered: “It’s quite mad to be honest, to come down here and just to see all the crowds of people looking at the building.
“The question is, what do I do with it now? What am I meant to do with it now? I definitely plan on keeping it on there and letting people enjoy it, everyone’s loving it which is great, I just can’t really believe it still to be honest.”
Georgiou said there was not currently anyone living in the building, which was on the lettings market. He joked that he might be able to increase the price of the property, but later clarified he would not be looking to profit from the artwork unless a Banksy “superfan” wanted to buy the whole building.
It is understood that the cherry tree in front of the artwork is around 40 to 50-years-old and in declining health. The council’s tree service had been maintaining it for some time to help prolong its lifespan and would continue to try to keep the decaying tree alive.
Read more: Banksy migrant ship detained in Italy for ‘breaking rules’
Has Banksy’s identity ever been revealed?
Over the years, there have been various theories and claims about Banksy’s identity, but none have been confirmed.
Banksy’s intentional anonymity allowed him to operate without facing legal repercussions for his often unauthorised street art, which can be considered vandalism in some jurisdictions.
It also allowed him to operate however he pleased without fear of being followed by fans or the media.
Read more: Banksy artwork sold at auction for three times estimate by band who changed name for piece
Many have tried to guess who the artist is and the general assumption is he lives in or near Bristol, but other than that very little was known about him.
In the recording of The Banksy Story (available on BBC Radio 4), he described himself as a “painter and decorator” and explains why he likes to glue works of art to buildings like the Louvre, saying: “You don’t want to get stuck in the same line of work your whole life long, do you?”
The podcast was the latest clue as to the identity of the elusive artist, after a village pub near Glastonbury was rumoured to have been bought by him and refurbished to the tune of £1m.
At the time Owain Powell, who runs the The Crown in Pilton, Somerset, with partner Rowena Draper, denied Banksy’s involvement.
What is Banksy’s real name and how has he remained anonymous?
Last November, it emerged that Banksy revealed his real name in a newly unearthed BBC interview from 2003.
Former BBC reporter Nigel Wrench interviewed the renowned street artist ahead of the 2003 Turf War show in east London, where he was heard confirming his first name.
Wrench asked Banksy if he could include his real name in the interview, asking the artist if he is called Robert Banks, in which he replied: “ It’s Robbie.”
According to the recording, his real name is Robert Banks, but since emerging to the scene in the early 1990s, he has always chosen to keep his identity a mystery – often wearing masks in the rare interviews he does.
He also never reveals the place he will be doing his next artwork, which is often only noticed after members of the public circulate them on social media.
How does Banksy make money?
Banksy generates income through various means, despite his anonymous persona and unconventional approach.
Part of his persona even rejects the concept of “commercial success” and has in the past encouraged people not to buy his work.
Speaking to Village Voice in 2013, the artist said: “Graffiti art has a hard enough life as it is, before you add hedge-fund managers wanting to chop it out and hang it over the fireplace.
“For the sake of keeping all street art where it belongs, I’d encourage people not to buy anything by anybody, unless it was created for sale in the first place.”
Despite this, he has still likely made a significant sum of money from his work.
He has published several books in his time, including best-seller Wall and Piece and likely generates royalties from that.
Banksy has also directed an award-winning documentary called Exit Through The Gift Shop, exploring modern and underground art, which generated more than £3m in profit.
On occasion, Banksy has offered the purchase of some of his art through Pest Control, which is the only way he approves of its sale.
His recent Cut & Run exhibition in Glasgow, attracted about 180,000 visitors, during its 10-week show – his first solo show in 14 years.
Where is Banksy from and how much is he worth?
Although it is hard to know where an anonymous artist is from he rose to fame in the early 1990s with spray-painted murals on walls in Bristol and has stayed connected to it ever since.
The latest Mail report suggests that Banksy is Bristol-born, 53-year-old and public school-educated.
Banksy’s art is all over the world in London, New York City, Paris, Bethlehem and elsewhere.
It is difficult to guess how much the artist is worth, but his creations are estimated to be worth nearly £40m.
Read more: Banksy giant seagull mural ‘worth millions’ removed from house
However, this valuation is based on the sale of his art which he has not condoned, and the profits usually go to the people who owned the site where the art was located.
Some of the profits of Banksy’s art may have made its way back to him but no one knows for sure.
Is Banksy married?
Although never revealed publicly, Banksy fans have identified Joy Millward, who runs a lobby group that campaigns on behalf of charities, as a potential candidate for his wife.
She is married to Robin Gunningham, who has several times been named as the most likely person to be Banksy, including the latest report.
Millward and Gunningham maintain an extremely private life and very little is known about them.
Whether this is a personal choice, or because they are sick of the speculation around supposedly being Banksy and Banksy’s wife or if Gunningham is in fact Banksy, we may never know.
Source link
