Did Banksy accidentally reveal his identity with latest stunt? Maybe… (10 Photos)

1Via Instagram/banksy

I’m sure you’ve seen it by now, the shocking moment Banksy’s Girl with Balloon painting self-destructed just moments after being sold for $1.4 million at Sotheby’s Auction House in London.

2Via Instagram/banksy

He pulled off the clever stunt using a remotely activated shredder hidden in the bottom of the picture frame that suddenly turned on, feeding the painting through its blades and leaving it in pieces. Thanks to the media frenzy surrounding the event, some appraisers believe the picture is actually worth more now than it was before, possibly even double.

Genius move really.

3Via Instagram/banksy

But was Banksy too smart for his own good this time? Possibly.

First off, it’s hard to believe that Sotheby’s wasn’t in on it. Was the piece not checked by experts beforehand? Considering there was a shredder inside the frame, it must have had an unusual weight to it.

4Via Instagram/banksy

Then again, Banksy has managed to pull off some pretty crazy stunts in the past, so you can’t put it past him that he could do this one on his own too. For the sake of this post, let’s just assume that’s the case.

5

Here’s where things get interesting. For years, people have been trying to identify who Banksy really is, a secret he’s been trying desperately to keep. And a name that continually pops up is Robin Gunningham, who’s a street artist from Bristol, the same city where Banksy’s work originated. Of course, he’s been denying the allegations since they first started floating around in 2008, with the most recent claim surfacing in 2016, but…

6GIFVia Newsflare/Artfido

Video from the Sotheby’s that day appears to show a man that fits Gunningham’s description, holding his phone up and taking a photo just as the shredder kicks in. If it is him, maybe it’s just a coincidence, right? After all, he is a street artist, so it’s very possible that he was there to admire the artwork.

7Via Newsflare/Artfido

But when you look at where he was taking the photo from, it appears to be exactly the same vantage point as one that was later posted on Banksy’s Instagram.

8Via Flickr/Fred von Lohmann

Another person suspected to be Banksy is Robert Del Naja, a musician and founding member of the band Massive Attack. He’s also a graffiti artist from Bristol who goes by the name 3D, and according to Banksy, Del Naja’s work inspired him to become an artist too.

Why am I mentioning him? Well, a ton of people claim that he was at Sotheby’s that day too, and that shortly after the stunt, he was escorted out of the building by security. It’s all just speculation and rumours, and even if these claims are true, it could just be another coincidence.

Right image via Wiki Commons/Robert Del Naja

9Via Wiki Commons/Alkivar

The final piece of evidence is from an interview back in 2017 with Goldie, another popular British musician and graffiti artist, who accidentally referred to Banksy as “Rob”. Could that be Robert, or maybe Robin?

10GIFVia Instagram/banksy

Obviously, none of this is conclusive proof but it raises enough questions to make you wonder. You be the judge.

H/T: LADbible

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