Has Banksy finally let his mask slip? Fans claim man spotted at London mural ... trends now
Witnesses have suggested Banksy has finally let his mask slip by turning up at a London mural credited to the secretive street artist.
Locals say a man seen hanging around the latest artwork in Finsbury Park, north London, bears a striking resemblance to an ex-public schoolboy believed to be behind the mystery alias.
They say the individual spotted beside the recently-unveiled painting of a green tree looks like previously-published photographs of Robin Gunningham.
Reports have long suggested he is responsible for Banksy street murals with names such as Balloon Girl, Love Is In The Bin, Slave Labour and Kissing Coppers.
The latest photos were taken on Saturday morning beside the latest mural, which appeared on a wall in Hornsey Road on March 17 before being vandalised with streaks of white paint shortly afterwards.
A man said to resemble ex-public schoolboy Robin Gunningham was photographed at the scene of the latest Banksy mural in Finsbury Park, north London, on Saturday morning
A Mail On Sunday investigation previously identified the man behind Banksy as being ex-public schoolboy Robin Gunningham, from Bristol - pictured here in Jamaica in 2004
The newest Banksy mural appeared on a wall in Hornsey Road on March 17
A local Banksy fan who took the pictures said: 'I have been going to the mural for a whole week.
'On Saturday there was more security fences and CCTV up and a few people putting up Perspex over the artwork.
'I went back at 10am to go have another look at what they were doing and saw this man who looks exactly like the photo I saw 20 years ago of Banksy.
'I found it weird he was putting up his own Perspex.
'The people putting it up weren't wearing council uniforms or anything. One was wearing a Nirvana T-shirt - he must have been there for hours.'
The new mural depicts an abstract appearance of foliage next to a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose.
It was later confirmed by Banksy on his Instagram to be genuine.
The name Robin Gunningham was first revealed by a Mail On Sunday investigation in 2008 which reported that he is a former public schoolboy from Bristol.
The pictures of the man who could be Banksy were taken on Saturday morning
One local said he 'saw this man who looks exactly like the photo I saw 20 years ago of Banksy'
The mural shows an abstract appearance of foliage next to a stencil of a person holding a pressure hose
The newspaper published a photograph taken in Jamaica in 2004 showing a man with a bag of spray cans by his feet - which was identified as Mr Gunningham.
Banksy is also believed to have gone by the name Robin Banks, and in 2017 the DJ Goldie referred to him in an interview on the Distraction Pieces podcast as 'Rob'.
One of Banksy's most striking moments was in 2003 when he disguised himself as a pensioner and installed a piece in a vacant spot in the Tate Britain in London.
His artwork Girl With Balloon self-destructed in a Sotheby's London saleroom when descending into a shredder in 2018.
That piece was then renamed Love Is In The Bin, which in 2021 sold for £18.6million - an all-time high for a Banksy artwork.
It was reported last October that Banksy was named as the first defendant in a High Court legal action accusing him of defamation.
His co-defendant is the company Banksy established named Pest Control Ltd, which sells his art.
MailOnline also revealed how a former Labour Parliamentary lobbyist Joy Millward, originally from the West Midlands, is said to be married to Banksy.
She worked as a researcher for Labour MP Austin Mitchell, who died in 2021, and later set up Principle Affairs, a lobby group for charities.
Pictures were taken of a man some have suggested looks like Robin Gunningham
Banksy fans have been taking photographs of his newest artwork
