First known photo of 'Banksy' taken 22 years ago as artist is identified 'beyond dispute'

After years of speculation, the first ever known picture of graffiti artist Banksy has been revealed, with investigations outing his true identity.

If there’s one thing to know about the British artist, it’s that a key basis of his whole brand is his unwillingness to reveal who he is, what he looks like, or give people a sliver of detail about his current situation.

But after he was allegedly spotted lingering around one of his works a few years back, a 2008 investigation by the Daily Mail has resurfaced, showing who the company believes to be the real Banksy, and his entire life story.

While Reuters has come to the same conclusion, and provided some updated information, the DM’s OG pic of the man they named Banksy came as a shock to everyone who saw it.

Now that another media company has hopped on and revealed the exact same identity in their independent investigation – it all seems like they both might be correct in thinking that the artist is none other than Robin Gunningham.

The Daily Mail released what it says is the first image known to be of Banksy (YouTube)

The former public schoolboy brought up in middle-class Bristol was revealed to be the apparent graffiti artist when the DM found an image of a man in 2004, with spray cans of pain, a canvas bad, and stencils.

The photograph taken in Jamaica resembles the schoolboy the outlet tracked down, having taken to his childhood city to interview those who knew him.

They spoke with Scott Nurse, who was in Robin’s class at Deans House, who claimed of the pupil: “He was one of three people in my year who were extremely talented at art. 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.”

Former neighbour Mr Hallett also said Robin shared the same passion as Banksy, as he was a graffiti artist, telling the DM: “The family was always very nice. I don't know for sure but I think Robin was working as a graffiti artist. He worked for other people and would disappear for months on end. He was quite nomadic.”

Reuters also claims Banksy is Robin Gunningham (YouTube)

Saying there was a ‘rift’ in the family because of how he chose to live his life, he said Robin ‘just disappeared after he left home.'

Since Banksy became a world-famous name for his takes on politics, pop culture and war, people have claimed to have seen him.

In one instance. a painting appeared on the side of a residential building in Finsbury Park, where people caught a glimpse of a man who bore a 'striking resemblance' to Gunningham lurking around the area.

But the man later told The Sun that his name was George Georgiou who knew the owner of the building and would liked to have painted over the murial himself.

Like Reuters, which spent the past year looking through court records and police reports, as well as interviewing people close to Robin, they figured that Gunningham was their man.

But Reuters’s investigation went a step further to claim that Banksy legally changed his name to David Jones in 2008 to shake people off his scent the same year the DM ousted him.

In response to the Reuters report, , Banksy's lawyer Mark Stephens said that Banksy 'does not accept that many of the details contained within [the] enquiry are correct'.

Stephens then said that sharing the findings 'would violate the artist’s privacy, interfere with his art and put him in danger'.

A sighting was reported a couple of years ago, but he says his name is George (SWNS)

He added: "It protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution."

This is because Banksy has 'been subjected to fixated, threatening and extremist behaviour'. He also suggested that unmasking him would harm the public, too.

Working 'anonymously or under a pseudonym serves vital societal interests,' he wrote. "It protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution - particularly when addressing sensitive issues such as politics, religion or social justice."

Even though the DM couldn’t get Robin’s parents to admit he was Banksy, or even get his alleged mum to admit she had a son, the two outlets revealed that all the evidence acquired had led them to the one conclusion of who Banksy is: just a bloke named Robin Gunningham, who likes to draw anti-authoritarian art, keep to himself, and sell some of his images to the likes of Angelina Jolie and Christina Aguilera for hundreds of thousands of pounds.