Reuters claims to have unmasked Banksy, the elusive street artist, identifying him as Robin Gunningham. The investigation hinges on a 2000 police report detailing Gunningham's arrest in New York for defacing a billboard, where he signed a confession using his name. This revelation contradicts Gunningham's previous denials and suggests he legally changed his name to David Jones before Banksy's 2022 Ukraine murals.

The art world has reacted with skepticism, but the potential impact on Banksy's market is significant. Banksy's auction sales plummeted from $171.3 million in 2021 to just $13.3 million in 2025, a decline partly attributed to the pandemic-driven market surge. Experts like London gallerist Acoris Andipa argue the artist's market value stems from the art itself, not the identity, though the revelation adds a new layer to the Banksy narrative.