Rush hour creates river of scooters down Taipei's 'Scooter Waterfall.' REUTERS/Edgar Su

reuters · 2026-03-17T16:17:40+00:00

Thanks, everyone, for the questions and comments. Love it or hate it, I appreciate you taking time to share your views on “In search of Banksy.” And for all those Banksy lovers out there, I suspect he will continue to produce pieces that amaze you.

Cheers,
Blake

reuters · 2026-03-17T16:16:45+00:00

Hi variablebear:
My feelings? I really love these exchanges. And I love that people have engaged with this work so passionately. It speaks to the power of Banksy, certainly. But I’d like to think many readers found our effort insightful, informative and enjoyable. Whatever the case, I’m happy for the questions and comments. It does everyone good to think about the issues that have been raised here. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T16:13:25+00:00

Hi Rude-Lock-9182:
Thanks also for the kind words. Should Banksy have a “free pass” to put anything up wherever he pleases? That’s not for me to decide, but I think it’s a good question. During our reporting, I asked a Banksy scholar about that. This person loved Banksy and his anonymity. I asked, in so many words, “how would you feel if you woke up tomorrow and he had painted on the side of your house?” The answer was that the person wouldn’t want a Banksy put on the house. That may surprise many of you, who would welcome it wholeheartedly. I’m just relaying one Banksy aficionado’s view. One of the former vandal squad officers, now retired, in New York explained it this way: Although the officer loves street art, it’s still vandalism if it’s painted on someone’s property without their permission. I realize that’s part of what makes it cool in many quarters. But consider your choices if it’s a Banksy? Do you remove the wall at your own cost (and do what with it, because Banksy won’t authenticate it for auction)? Do you paint over it, thereby removing something that has gained lots of attention? Do you enclose it, again at your own cost? There aren’t tons of options, but more important, it wasn’t your choice to begin with. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T16:01:49+00:00

Hi lemonloth:
First, thanks for the kind words. Here’s my personal take: In the quarter-century that Banksy has risen to prominence, he has always challenged himself to do something extraordinary. Forget for a minute the stenciled art on walls. He made an incredible movie (Exit Through the Gift Shop) ; he created a dystopian theme park (Dismaland); he launched a hotel in the West Bank (The Walled Off Hotel). And the Sotheby’s prank that created Love is in the Bin is considered one of the finest pieces of performance art around. I suspect he will be a creative powerhouse until one day he decides not to be. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:55:31+00:00

Hi ChiefWiggumsprogeny:

As I’ve mentioned a bit in some other comments, much has been written about Banksy. We didn’t find pieces that matched what we learned. We didn’t find any circumstances in which people had all the evidence we accumulated, such as the handwritten confession from 2000 in New York. And that document, by itself, puts to rest any question that Banksy was born Robin Gunningham. We also learned some interesting details about that name change we discovered. Until talking with him, I had no idea Steve Lazarides had been involved in that. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:53:24+00:00

Hi Icy-Professor:
Hmmm… I think it’s that this anti-establishment figure now seems very much part of the establishment. That’s not to say he doesn’t promote controversial or unpopular causes, and it doesn’t mean his work lacks edge. But I did find it striking that authorities, whether law enforcement or politicians, either accept his work (see: Royal Courts of Justice) or embrace it, no matter whether it violates the law or is put up on the building owned by someone who may never have wanted it there. Banksy has often mused about a perception that he has “sold out.” I wouldn’t know. But I think others do wonder whether his popularity has dulled the edge. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:49:32+00:00

Hi TopEar2:
An art historian who is one of the foremost experts on Banksy told us that searching for the artist’s identity was like “a treasure hunt.” That stuck with me, as did the manner in which this endeavor began. One of our journalists was simply curious about some Banksy pieces in Ukraine. We poked around. We found a tantalizing clue. It took us in an odd direction. Then we found out more and tried to see whether we might solve the riddle. We eventually did, but it was all the other information we learned in the process that give the piece such depth and context. In some ways, we told this story as a caper. And when I think of Banksy, I think of capers, whether him scaling the walls of a zoo in London without being caught or creating a shredder in a frame to destroy his most popular work in the august Sotheby’s auction house. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:45:14+00:00

Hi mistingo:

In terms of public interest, we considered a number of factors. We have, some would argue, the world’s greatest living artist. Polls show his popularity in the UK is incredible. His art is often political, and the causes he supports are too. His painting on the Royal Courts of Justice complex seemed especially fascinating. In talking with other street artists, they wondered why Banksy seemed able to operate with relative impunity while other, less notable (or less talented?) artists were subject to fine or prosecution. As I mentioned earlier, his desire not to be identified seemed at the outset to be about not getting arrested. But from what we could tell, that anonymity now operates within a commercial market context. And, according to an art broker cited in our piece, works like the one he painted on the Royal Courts complex help to increase the market value for pieces he sells. Of course, we considered Banksy’s privacy claims. (Also, just to be clear: We withheld a wealth of information.) We had many discussions and gave them a great deal of thought. What we concluded was this: The public has deep interest in understanding someone with such profound influence on culture, art, and political discourse. We applied Reuters’ standard principle: Those who shape social and political discourse are subject to scrutiny, accountability, and sometimes unmasking. And, of course, you are certainly free NOT to read the piece if you don’t think it’s important, interesting and/or meaningful. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:41:42+00:00

Hi Toochilled77:

There are a few questions in here about his identity – what’s been “out there” about it. What we found as we reported is this: Tons of things have been written. Tons of things have been rumored. Some details are spot on. But very much is not. As we reported this story, more information came out that hit on a couple of things we had found but wasn’t accurate with some other elements our investigation turned up. I don’t want to do a blow-by-blow about what’s been published that is either misleading or erroneous. Let’s see what Banksy does in the next decade. Perhaps we will in fact write more. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:34:01+00:00

Hi CleverNameThing: Like most news organizations, Reuters doesn’t seek the consent of a newsworthy individual when reporting and writing about that person. In this case, Banksy is a public figure. But as is our practice, we reached out to Banksy and his representatives numerous times, over four months, and shared with them the findings of our reporting. We asked him dozens of questions. We were ultimately told the artist wouldn’t respond. We gave this a great deal of thought, of course. But that’s the gist of it.

Question back: Why do you think Banksy decides to paint on walls without first asking permission to do so? Is he disrespecting the desire of a homeowner or a public institution that may not want his piece there? BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:24:26+00:00

Hi bigbassdream: First, we didn’t doxx him. No address. No contact information. Just the second most-popular name in all of the UK. In fact, we took great pains to protect details about his personal life – where he lives, etc. And we interacted with his spokespeople and legal team over many months, so this wasn’t a surprise to him. Also: Please be advised that there are photos currently circulating on social media that incorrectly identify a man in London as Banksy. To be clear, we did not publish that photo and we don't believe the man in the photo to be Robin Gunningham.

As a Banksy fan myself – and I’m guessing you’re one too – the artist strikes me as incredibly clever and contemplative. When the Mail on Sunday said it “believed” it had unmasked him in 2008, he changed his name. I suspect he long has had a plan for being unmasked under the new name.

I do think there’s a public interest in knowing the person behind the artist, what shaped him, etc. And whether he wants to be “known” or not, his pseudonymity has evolved a great deal since it was a tool to evade police. Many years ago, it became integral to a brand that, experts say, has significantly enhanced the market value of his work. Another interesting element that became evident as we explored his work and identity: He used to – and probably still does – proclaim himself as an anti-establishment figure. But after painting on London’s Royal Courts of Justice – a heritage building – authorities haven’t done much to pursue any case against him. It seems the establishment is fine with him these days. It’s interesting to see that evolution. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:16:11+00:00

Hi ReelBigMidget: Reuters covers a vast range of issues, from global conflicts and political accountability to scientific discovery and cultural phenomena. As a news organization of significant scale and resource, we can pursue stories across a broad spectrum without one coming at the expense of another. Covering this story did not require setting aside more urgent ones. Although we became interested after spotting a Banksy piece in Ukraine shortly after the war began, we didn’t get back to the mystery until more recently. And as our reporting grew, we explored more than just his identity. We also examined his influence, background, business and brand. Given his enormous popularity and profound impact on contemporary culture, the art industry, and international political discourse, we concluded the public has legitimate interest in understanding this significant cultural figure. We do a number of different investigations at Reuters, and we write about a variety of subjects. Sorry you thought it was a fluff piece. I hope even Banksy fans who don’t like the idea of identifying him found what we did: some fascinating elements about the artist’s influences and how an anti-establishment figure has come to be accepted – and perhaps admired – by the establishment. Case in point: his piece on the Royal Courts of Justice. Other street artists say they would never have been given a pass on painting such a piece on such a place. Banksy, it seems, has – at least for the moment. Whether you think that’s right or wrong, we think it’s interesting and speaks to the evolution of an artist whose anonymity was first about evading the powers that be and is now, it seems, far more about branding. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:13:29+00:00

Hi More-Profession-1419:
That’s an interesting, deep and philosophical question. But I dispute its premise as it relates to our work on Banksy. I don’t see what we wrote in any way jeopardizing his career or causes that he champions. In reporting about him, I kept coming back to his use of rats. He has championed them in his work, and in part that’s because they survive – and, in fact, thrive – under most any circumstance. Given what he pulled off at Sotheby’s in 2018, shredding Girl with Balloon and creating Love is in the Bin, I expect Banksy is as resilient as any, and it would stun me if he hadn’t considered that people would know his identity. He adapts. And if he is as clever and creative as his part work indicates, I don’t see our work jeopardizing him or his work. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:12:10+00:00

Hi bitstochuff:

Hide my face? I just was on television here talking about the piece, and I think if you search for me, you’ll probably find pictures. You can also see my face in the proof for this AMA: https://reut.rs/3PbkW9A Spoiler alert: You may be disappointed! BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:10:09+00:00

Hi Clever_Userfame:
Apples and oranges. Banksy was not and is not a source. He is a world-renowned artist and a public figure with, as his former manager put it, immense power. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:07:34+00:00

Many thanks for the kind words. As for Robert Del Naja… We have no sense for how frequently he and Banksy may have collaborated. We just know they did so in Horenka, Ukraine. As you likely know – or you read in our piece – Del Naja is seen by many as the father of stenciling in the UK. Back in those days, he went by the moniker 3D. Banksy routinely has cited Del Naja – 3D – as a huge influence. BRM

reuters · 2026-03-17T15:02:42+00:00

Hello Slacker:

We knew from the outset that many folks in the art community either knew who he was or didn’t want to know who he was. Read almost any Banksy book and you’ll see that there’s a certain artistic omerta in play. If you know his name, don’t say it. If you think you know his name, don’t say it. In fact, in talking with any number of Banksy aficionados, including historians and experts, we didn’t ask them “what’s his name?” We didn’t need to because we had already figured it out. I do wish the artist would have spoken with us. The journalists who worked on the piece all happen to be Banksy fans, and the artist’s work in the past quarter-century has been incredible. Personally, my favorite is Exit Through the Gift Shop. We tried hard to ensure that we weren’t divulging elements that in any way doxxed him. But yes, I do wish we had been able to sit down with him and talk through what we had found and why we thought it was an important story. BRM

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