'So who IS Banksy...?' Amsterdam exhibition claims to show never before seen photos of the graffiti king at work

  • Banksy is perhaps the most famous, or infamous, artist alive, to some a genius to others a vandal
  • Since 2000 he has played cat and mouse with the authorities with his paintings appearing on walls in London and even the West Bank
  • But despite his works selling for millions each with celebrity fans like Brad Pitt, his true identity is shrouded in secrecy
  • An investigation claimed he is former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham
  • Now an exhibition in Amsterdam claims to show never before seen photos of the artist working as a young man 

For 15 years he has played cat and mouse with the authorities becoming the most famous graffiti artist in the world and selling his works for millions to celebrities such as Brad and Angelina.

Famed for his trademark stencil-style 'guerrilla' art in public spaces - on walls in London, Brighton, Bristol and even on the West Bank barrier separating Israelis and Palestinians - his works have sold for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

And yet despite being one of the most controversial artists alive who polarises opinion from those who label him a street art genius and those who dismiss him as a vandal, Banksy remains the Scarlet Pimpernel of modern art as his true identity remains shrouded in secrecy.

For 15 years, arguably the world's most controversial artist Banksy has kept his identity secret. Now, never before seen pictures claiming to be him are being shown at an exhibition in Amsterdam. Pictured: A photo claiming to be a young Banksy at work on a wall 

For 15 years, arguably the world's most controversial artist Banksy has kept his identity secret. Now, never before seen pictures claiming to be him are being shown at an exhibition in Amsterdam. Pictured: A photo claiming to be a young Banksy at work on a wall 

In 2008 a Mail On Sunday investigation claimed to have unveiled the artist's true identity. The newspaper had apparently obtained a photo it believed to be Banksy reportedly taken in Jamaica in 2004 (above) and spoke to former friends of the man apparently in the photo

In 2008 a Mail On Sunday investigation claimed to have unveiled the artist's true identity. The newspaper had apparently obtained a photo it believed to be Banksy reportedly taken in Jamaica in 2004 (above) and spoke to former friends of the man apparently in the photo


Such is the veil of secrecy around the man and his work that no one knows for certain his true identity, known to only a handful of trusted friends. 

In 2008, a year long investigation led the Mail on Sunday to name him as former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham, but it was never confirmed. 

But when it was suggested to Mr Gunningham that he was in fact Banksy, his response was as clear as mud.

'I am unable to comment on who may or may not be Banksy but anyone described at being ‘good at drawing’ doesn’t sound like Banksy to me,' he mused. 

Now, a series of never-before-seen photos claim to show the graffiti genius in his early days working as a street artist in Bristol are being shown at an exhibition at the Beurs van Berlage in Amsterdam.

Titled, 'The Art of Banksy', with the trailer 'Who, exactly, is Banksy?' the exhibition includes 85 original Banksy canvases, paintings, photographs and a sculpture.  

It goes on: 'Good question. No one can even agree on what to call him - or her.  

Following the investigation, the Mail On Sunday named Banksy as former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham, but his true identity has never been confirmed. Pictured: A shot from the The Art of Banksy' in Holland, which claims to be of the street artist working in his early years 

Following the investigation, the Mail On Sunday named Banksy as former public schoolboy Robin Gunningham, but his true identity has never been confirmed. Pictured: A shot from the The Art of Banksy' in Holland, which claims to be of the street artist working in his early years 

The exhibition has the the trailer 'Who, exactly, is Banksy?' and contains 85 original Banksy canvases, paintings, photographs and a sculpture charting his incredible career
The exhibition charts the artist's incredible career

The exhibition has the the trailer 'Who, exactly, is Banksy?' and contains 85 original Banksy canvases, paintings, photographs and a sculpture charting his incredible career

The show is organised by Banksy's former agent Steve Lazarides, who discovered him on a photo shoot when the artist was working as a picture editor for Sleaze Nation magazine 

The show is organised by Banksy's former agent Steve Lazarides, who discovered him on a photo shoot when the artist was working as a picture editor for Sleaze Nation magazine 

'Is (s)he a street artist? A political activist? A film director? Or is Banksy a criminal who vandalizes public property?'

The show is organised by Banksy's former agent Steve Lazarides, who discovered him on a photo shoot when the artist was working as a picture editor for Sleaze Nation magazine.

Chris Ford, a friend of Mr Lazarides, said of the exhibition: 'These really have not been seen by anybody else. 

'They are incredibly rare early material of when Banksy was putting up artworks.' 

The artist apparently unmasked by the Mail on Sunday, Mr Gunningham attended the £9,000-a-year Bristol Cathedral School.

The newspaper claimed to have obtained a photo it believed to be the artist reportedly taken in Jamaica in 2004. It spoke to a number of former friends and colleagues and claimed it had come as close as anyone to identifying the elusive artist. 

Banksy was apparently unveiled as a public schoolboy who attended £9,000-a-year Bristol Cathedral School. Pictured: Banksy's Dismaland 'bemusement park' in Weston-Super-Mare 

Banksy was apparently unveiled as a public schoolboy who attended £9,000-a-year Bristol Cathedral School. Pictured: Banksy's Dismaland 'bemusement park' in Weston-Super-Mare 

TAKING ON THE WORLD WITH HIS GUERRILLA MURALS

From the Israeli attack on Palestinian civilians to the destruction of the environment, Banksy has travelled the world to paint sharp critiques of social injustice in the places they will be noticed.

It has made the graffiti artist from Bristol one of the world's highest paid living artists - yet his identity remains a secret.

His political art is often satirical and contains political and social commentary, but is scrawled illegally on walls and bridges all over the world.

He travelled to the West Bank, one of the most dangerous places in the world, where a conflict rages between the Israelis who call the holy land their own and the Palestinians who also lay claim to it.

Protest: The artwork on the wall of the French Embassy in London depicts the young girl from the musical Les Miserables with tears streaming from her eyes as a can of CS gas lies beneath her. The work is criticising the use of teargas in the refugee camp in Calais

Protest: The artwork on the wall of the French Embassy in London depicts the young girl from the musical Les Miserables with tears streaming from her eyes as a can of CS gas lies beneath her. The work is criticising the use of teargas in the refugee camp in Calais

Gaza: A general view of a Banksy wall painting, on the separation wall near Bethlehem on June 16, 2013 in central West Bank

Gaza: A general view of a Banksy wall painting, on the separation wall near Bethlehem on June 16, 2013 in central West Bank

Environmentalist:  The famous 'I Remember When All This Was Trees' mural by Banksy on display as part of the Street Art featuring Banksy at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California,

Environmentalist:  The famous 'I Remember When All This Was Trees' mural by Banksy on display as part of the Street Art featuring Banksy at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills, California,

Thousands are killed every year in the endless conflict between them, and the Gaza strip is considered the war's main battleground, torn apart by decades of bullets and shells.

Yet one day, a number of murals and stencils appeared on the broken walls of buildings, criticising Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians.

Last year, he released a two-minute movie clip of his trip to the Gaza strip, on which he painted various artworks on walls in the area famous for fighting between Israel and Palestine.

The most famous was a painting of a kitten on the remains of a house destroyed by an Israeli air strike.

He said: 'I don't want to take sides. But when you see entire suburban neighborhoods reduced to rubble with no hope of a future—what you're really looking at is a vast outdoor recruitment center for terrorists. And we should probably address this for all our sakes.'

West Bank: Donkey Document was painted on the separation wall in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2007 but was sold at auction in California

West Bank: Donkey Document was painted on the separation wall in the Israel-occuppied West Bank in 2007 but was sold at auction in California

New York: A robot and a barcode left on a wall in the Coney Island area of New York City as Banksy made his mark on the city in 2013

New York: A robot and a barcode left on a wall in the Coney Island area of New York City as Banksy made his mark on the city in 2013

In France, thousands of migrants seeking asylum in Europe are held in infamous camps such as The Jungle, and these are policed with armed officers. During riots, the authorities seek to control them.

One morning, on the side of the French embassy, the child from Les Miserables - a pioneering commentary on social injustice in France - appeared painted on the wall in the colours of France.

However, her eyes were streaming with tears, and a CS gas cannister lay below her - a clear critique on what French authorities had done in migrant camps.

In 2015, in Calais, near these migrant camps, a series of paintings appeared. Among the most famous was Son Of A Migrant From Syria, which depicted former Apple boss Steve Jobs as a migrant.

In New York, one of the most built-up cities in the world, he painted an image of a small boy on a broken wall, with the caption: 'I remember when all this was trees.' 

Concept: A piece by Banksy, during the press view for the artist's biggest show to date, entitled 'Dismaland', at Tropicana in Western-super-Mare, Somerset, opened in August last year

Concept: A Banksy piece, shown at 'Dismaland', the artist's biggest show to date, at Tropicana in Western-super-Mare

Publicist: A Banksy stencil of Max Clifford, the famous publicist who has now been embroiled in a host of sexual abuse claims. Banksy painted the piece in Bloomfield Place, west London

Publicist: A Banksy stencil of Max Clifford, the publicist jailed for eight years for sex offences. Banksy painted the piece in Bloomfield Place, West London 

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Scott Nurse, an insurance broker, who was in Mr Gunningham's class, said: 'He was one of three people in my year who were extremely talented at art. 

No one has ever proved Banksy's identity without a doubt

No one has ever proved Banksy's identity without a doubt

'He did lots of illustrations. I am not at all surprised if he is Banksy. He was also in the house rugby team and I think he played hockey as well.'

Camilla Stacey, a curator at Bristol's Here Gallery, owned a property that Mr Gunningham once lived in, said he and Banksy are the same person.

She claimed to be certain that Banksy lived at the property due to the distinctive artwork she found on the walls.

She said: 'The place had been covered in graffiti and stuff like that. 

'I threw things in the bin. At that point Banksy was just someone putting up stuff around Bristol. 

'He was just another artist who had graffitied around Bristol. It keeps me awake at night sometimes thinking about it.'

There is also a theory that Banksy is a collective of artists - and another claim that he does not exist at all.

Fans hoped he would finally reveal himself in his 2010 graffiti documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop.

He appeared and spoke in the film but his face was heavily pixellated and his voice distorted to the point even his accent was unrecognisable.   

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