Pictures of a man spotted at the site of the latest Banksy mural has prompted speculation from graffiti fans that the secretive artist may have broken cover.
A photo taken over the weekend at the green mural in Finsbury Park in London shows a man with greying hair who bears a striking resemblance to the man widely believed to be Banksy. The pictures snapped at 10am on March 23, were taken just outside Banksy’s latest mural in Finsbury Park, London. They depict a man with greying hair and similar features to Robin Gunningham – the man many believe to be the true identity of Banksy.
Bristolian Robin has long been rumoured to be the man behind the moniker after a photo taken in Jamaica in 2004 claimed to show the artist’s face for the first time. In the pic, first published in a Mail on Sunday front page in 2008 claiming the paper had unmasked the artist, a man with glasses and curly hair can be seen looking out of shot.
In the new pictures, taken at the site of the latest Banksy mural, a man can be seen who resembles the subject in the Jamaica photo, albeit a few years older. The artwork, which adorns the side of a building on Hornsey Road, shows a splattering of green paint behind a leafless tree which looks like leaves. There is also a stencil of a woman holding a pressure hose nearby.
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Banksy confirmed it was one of his works in an Instagram post on Monday March 18, a few hours after it appeared overnight on the weekend. However, just three days later the priceless street art was itself vandalised after white paint was splashed over it.
The apparent act of vandalism comes despite the local council erecting a metal fence to try and protect it. The new photos show a man, who some have claimed is the elusive graffiti artist himself, inside the fence working on the mural. The man, who bears a striking resemblance to Robin Gunningham, can be seen talking to members of the public through the fence in the snaps, as well as climbing a ladder, apparently to work on the vandalised mural.
Gunningham was born in 1973 and was a pupil at Bristol Cathedral School. He grew up in the Clifton area of the city and has an older sister, Sarah. His dad Peter Gordon Gunningham was a retired contracts manager in the Whitehall area. Mum Pamela Ann Dawkin-Jones was a company director's secretary.
It was reported recently that Banksy was the subject of a High Court legal action that could force him to reveal his identity. The legal action brought by Andrew Gallagher, 56, accuses ‘the artist known as Banksy’ of defamation.