Reason why Banksy could finally be unmasked as famous graffiti artist is named in court case
The years-long mystery as to the identity of infamous artist Banksy could end up being solved by a court case, of all things.
Mysterious artwork crops up, nobody sees whodunnit and the legend of Banksy grows ever further, though it's definitely not the guy from Art Attack, despite what you've heard.
While there are a number of theories as to his identity, and we've heard what is supposedly his 'real voice', solid proof of just who the artist is has not been available.
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There have been some false steps because of this, as with Banksy's identity being a mystery, people can be duped into thinking certain pieces of artwork are his when they aren't.
He's appeared in videos before but never been properly recognisable in them, for obvious reasons, yet now a court case could reveal his identity to the world.
Let's get you up to speed on this court case; wealthy entrepreneur Andrew Gallagher is launching a lawsuit against Banksy's company Pest Control Ltd, which was set up to manage sale of their art, over defamation.
Gallagher is also suing a 49-year-old man named Robin Gunningham, who is one of the culprits often suspected of being Banksy.
The entrepreneur's lawyer Alan Wood said details about the case would remain 'confidential', at least 'until Banksy or Pest Control file their acknowledgement of service'.
If the matter does end up in a courtroom, then Gallagher would be able to ask that Banksy appear in court, meaning the person behind the art would need to show up and identify themselves.
This would essentially blow Banksy's cover, as according to The Times Gallagher could 'seek an order that he identifies himself for the purposes of these proceedings'.
While people might think they know who Banksy really is (again, it's not Neil Buchanan off Art Attack), nobody can be 100 percent certain unless they have to show up in court and identify themselves by name.
Reports that Banksy is Robin Gunningham first surfaced in 2008, alleging that the Bristol-born Brit was the famous artist.
There have even been university studies aimed at pinpointing Banksy's identity, with researchers comparing the movements of the artist and finding they lined up with Gunningham.
Guardian journalist Simon Hattenstone interviewed Banksy in 2003 and said that 'anonymity is vital to him because graffiti is illegal'.
On top of that, actually knowing who Banksy is would take out quite a bit of the fun.
Other people suspected of being Banksy are Massive Attack band member Robert Del Naja, comic book artist Jamie Hewlett and Art Attack star Neil Buchanan.
Though, we say again, it's definitely not him.
Joe Harker