North London Builder Furious Over Banksy Identity Claims
A north London builder at the centre of intense speculation about Banksy's identity has vehemently denied he is the secretive street artist, telling those spreading rumours to 'grow up and get a life'. George Georgiou, 69, has found himself repeatedly mistaken for Banksy ever since he was photographed installing protective Perspex around one of the artist's creations on Hornsey Road, near Finsbury Park, in March 2024.
Striking Resemblance Sparks Confusion
In a remarkable coincidence, Mr Georgiou bears an uncanny likeness to the only publicly available photograph of Banksy, which was originally published by The Mail on Sunday in 2008 when the newspaper identified the artist as Robin Gunningham from Bristol. Over the recent weekend, Reuters news agency published a fresh investigation that also unmasked Banksy as Gunningham, adding that he later changed his name to David Jones. Multiple media outlets have since used photographs of Mr Georgiou, suggesting he could be the mysterious artist, but the builder has firmly shut down these rumours and warned he is considering legal action.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail with a distinctive East End accent, Mr Georgiou stated today: 'I'm not Banksy... It's really annoying, it's ridiculous and it's disturbing. The first day, it was a laugh. It's a bit of an old joke now.' Mr Georgiou was only pictured at Banksy's tree mural on Hornsey Road two years ago because the building it was painted on is owned by his sons, letting agents Alex and Anthony Georgiou. He performs maintenance work for his sons' estate agency, Alex Marks, also located on Hornsey Road, and was simply installing Perspex around Banksy's artwork—a routine task that unexpectedly made his face go viral.
Builder Issues Blunt Message to Speculators
In a direct message to those who insist he is Banksy, Mr Georgiou said: 'Grow up. Get a life. If Banksy were to be found, he wouldn't be standing there. I'm sure he is well enough endowed not to have to go there doing building work. He runs in, does what he does and then sods off and disappears. That's why no one knows who he is.' When asked if he sees the similarities between himself and the 2008 picture of Banksy, he responded: 'Not really! The only nice thing is that they think I look like I'm 51.'
The Mail was shown photographs of Mr Georgiou at family events as his relatives attempted to prove he is not Banksy. He comes from a Greek family but was born and raised in London and is currently based in Islington. Mr Georgiou joked that he wishes he were Banksy, quipping: 'Then no one would know who the f*** I am. Unfortunately, they found me.' The semi-retired builder described the situation as a bizarre path to social fame but expressed a strong desire for it to end permanently.
Daily Disruption and Frustration
He explained: 'When it first happened, there was less reaction than there is now. It ain't really anything that I'm worried about. It's just really annoying because I'm still working. It's just disrupting my day endlessly. It's just the day to day every five minutes, you pick up the bloody phone and it's just someone having a giggle. That's all it is. It's all harmless stuff, but when you're trying to get on with your life, it's just really annoying. It's just a pain in the butt.' Mr Georgiou said the entire episode has been a nightmare, and he even expressed a wish to paint over the Banksy mural to end the drama.
Reflecting on when he first learned about the speculation, he said: 'We were called on Sunday midday because we were all having lunch at a friend's. A phone call came through from one of the tenants and then all hell broke loose. It's all been a big waste of time to be honest. Alex spent a s***load of money doing what he has done there. It's a bit of graffiti at the end of the day. It's [the mural] has done nothing. In fact, that side of the wall was due a repaint and we had it on the books to do it that spring. Since that happened, we haven't been able to paint it. It's all flaky. It looks bloody horrible. Just get rid of it.'
No Artistic Aspirations
Mr Georgiou downplayed any artistic talents, admitting he avoids painting jobs whenever possible. 'I don't even like painting, to be honest with you,' he said. 'When there's a painting job, I'll get other people to go and do it.' This comes after Banksy's new identity was revealed over the weekend, following the shy superstar street artist's decision to change his name after The Mail on Sunday's original unmasking in 2008.
Background on Banksy's Identity
The British graffitist, renowned for his distinctive stencilled spray paintings, has achieved international fame since his career began in the nineties. His works, often critiquing British politics, have sold for tens of millions of pounds, cementing his status as an icon in the art world. He has always operated under the pseudonym Banksy, with various guesses about his true identity, including Robert Del Naja, a member of the band Massive Attack.
The Mail on Sunday definitively revealed in 2008 that the artist is actually Robin Gunningham, born in Bristol in 1973. However, in a surprising twist, Reuters' recent investigation disclosed that Mr Gunningham changed his name after the MoS report to maintain his anonymity. He is now known as David Jones—a common name in the UK that has helped him remain hidden in plain sight for nearly two decades.
New Evidence from Past Incident
This discovery emerged from new details in a memoir by Steve Lazarides, a photographer and former manager of Mr Gunningham. His book, Banksy Captured, recounts his experiences working for the artist from the late nineties until 2008 and includes a telling anecdote from over 25 years ago. In September 2000, the pair visited Ivy Brown, a gallerist and Mr Lazarides' photography agent, at her apartment in Manhattan, New York. She was upset by a billboard advertising Marc Jacobs clothing that had been erected on her building's roof, feeling it ruined the block's appearance.
Ms Brown asked Mr Gunningham to graffiti the billboard to improve its look, which he did, drawing inspiration from a scene in Steven Spielberg's iconic 1975 film Jaws. In the movie, someone defaces a tourism sign by adding bulging eyes, a shark fin, and a speech bubble saying, 'HELP!!! SHARK.' Similarly, Mr Gunningham gave the model on the Marc Jacobs billboard rabbit-like teeth and drew an empty speech bubble. However, he was arrested by police before he could finish, though Mr Lazarides's book did not specify the exact location or timing.
Uncovering Historical Documents
The exact building has now been identified, and the advertisement dated, leading to previously unseen police and court documents. These records show that at 4:20 am on September 18, 2000, officers found a man defacing a billboard at 675 Hudson Street. Because the damages exceeded $1,500, the police sought felony charges and obtained a handwritten signed confession from the man. He was released within hours after agreeing to temporarily surrender his passport and later posted $1,500 bail to retrieve it.
The felony charges were reduced to a disorderly conduct misdemeanour, and he was ordered to complete five days of community service and pay $310 in fines and fees. At the time, this graffiti incident did not unmask him as Banksy, as he had only just begun using the pseudonym and its associated style. However, this minor event has now compromised his anonymity, with his signature and mentions in the newly discovered documents confirming his identity as Robin Gunningham.
Ongoing Mystery and Community Respect
Mr Lazarides told Reuters they were 'pursuing a ghost' after he assisted his client in legally changing his name following the incident. 'There is no Robin Gunningham,' he said. 'The name you've got I killed years ago. You'll never find him.' Banksy is believed to have been born in Yate in the early 1970s and rose to prominence with his trademark stencilled designs around Bristol in the 1990s. After the MoS unmasked Banksy as Robin Gunningham in 2008, the BBC uncovered an interview in 2023 where the artist appears to confirm his first name as 'Robbie'.
It is understood he later changed his name to David Jones, a man whom neighbours in an idyllic West Country village now suspect is Banksy. Residents told The Times that 'David' tends a vegetable patch, drives an old SUV, and occasionally attends church. They had no idea he was the guerrilla artist whose works sell for millions. Reports indicate the artist moved into a Grade II-listed property with his wife in 2014.
One resident said: 'I know him as David. [His wife] often drives up and stops to talk to me. I don't know what most of my neighbours do for a living and I honestly wouldn't know if he was Banksy or not, but if he is then good luck to him.' Another added: 'The locals are very respectful of everybody who is here. We are a good community and really look after each other. I think it's more fun that it's kept a mystery. It's their choice to have done what they did. When we get together as a community we get together and if people don't join in then we leave them alone.'
A third resident commented: 'There was a lot of chatter in the village when I moved here ten years ago. I did look up a picture of Banksy when I saw him walking along the road and I did wonder if it was him, because they look very similar. I even said hello to him when walking past to see if I could get into conversation with him, but he only gave a little smile and kept walking on, very much keeping himself to himself.'
