[imagesource:flickr]

A British greeting card firm has sued the enigmatic street artist Banksy, and sports betting websites are now taking bets on whether or not his identity will be revealed.

Banksy is being sued by Andrew Gallagher, the owner of greeting card firm Full Colour Black, after they accused the artist of libel for an Instagram post he made in November 2022.

Initially, the lawsuit had noted Banksy as a man named Robin Gunningham, though no evidence of his possible identity was provided and the outlet acknowledged his identity has never been confirmed.

Even a bunch of scientists got involved, using geographic profiling to analyse patterns in street art activity in London and Bristol, which then “tagged” Gunningham as the most likely candidate.

Given the recent renewed interest in Banky’s identity, online poker and gaming sites are currently taking bets on the artist’s identity. Gamblers can wager on whether they believe Gallagher will prevail in the legal battle with Pest Control, the company that verifies Banksy’s artwork, as well as whether Gallagher will be identified as Banksy.

Robin Gunningham, although the preferred contender, is not the only contender for the title of Banksy. Massive Attack’s Robert Del Naja, a graffiti artist and a member of the Wild Bunch group from Bristol, where Banksy is from, is also being touted as a possible ‘candidate’.

In 2017, DJ Goldie may have accidentally revealed Del Naja as Banksy in an interview on a podcast. However, Goldie later appeared to dismiss the rumors in a tweet saying that he and Del Naja had laughed about it on the phone. No other evidence has emerged that could establish Del Naja as Banksy.

Along with printmaker Stanley Donwood, who just held a London exhibition alongside Radiohead leader Thom Yorke, other possibilities on the lengthy list include artists Jeff Koons, David Hockney, and Damien Hirst.

Tom Brady and Donald Trump also appear on the list, although they are long shots.

Gambling sites have been running bets on the identity of Banksy since as far back as 2021 and currently, the odds are 5/2 that Gunningham would be revealed as the mysterious artist, and 7/2 odds that Banksy could be unveiled as female.

It’s an amazing feat for someone so notorious as Banksy to have kept his identity hidden for so long. In a way, we almost hope his real name and face remain an enigma. In a world consumed with oversharing, a little mystery is a good thing.

[source:artnet]