Banksy Unmasked? The Shadowy Genius Behind the Street Art That’s Breaking the Internet—And Maybe Your Horoscope Too!
Added on September 8, 2025 inCelebrity News Cards
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So, Banksy’s latest masterpiece popped up outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London only to be swiped under the rug faster than Mercury at a retrograde party. Picture this: a judge decked out in all the wig-and-gown pomp, gleefully pounding an unarmed protester with a gavel like it’s some sort of courtroom smackdown. And where, you ask? Just beneath the ever-watchful gaze of a CCTV camera—talk about irony served cold! Security guards quickly turned the scene into a no-peek zone with black plastic and barriers, making you wonder if the stars were aligning for a cosmic clash between justice and censorship today. Is this the universe’s cheeky way of saying, “Not so fast, Banksy!” or just classic street art drama? Either way, the elusive artist confirmed the piece on his Instagram and website before it vanished from sight, leaving us pondering the celestial forces behind art and authority. LEARN MORE
A new artwork by Banksy outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London has been covered up within hours of its appearance.
The mural, spotted on Monday, depicts a judge in a wig and a gown beating up an unarmed protester with a gavel.
The piece of art, below a CCTV camera on an external wall of the Queen’s Building, part of the Royal Courts of Justice complex, has been concealed by large sheets of black plastic and two metal barriers, and is being guarded by security officials.
The Banksy artwork on the side of the Royal Courts of Justice was soon covered up. (Getty Images)
Banksy confirmed the work is his through a post on Instagram and on his website, showing the art before it was covered up.
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It shows a protester lying on the ground holding a blood-spattered placard, while the judge looms over him wielding a gavel.
Banksy captioned the picture in his Instagram post: “Royal Courts Of Justice. London.”
The new work by Banksy on the side of the Royal Courts of Justice in London. (PA)
In August 2024, the Bristol-based street artist took over the capital with nine animal-themed works in nine days, which concluded with a mural of a gorilla appearing to lift up a shutter at the entrance to London Zoo.
These included piranhas swimming on a police sentry box in the City of London, turning the box into what looked like a giant fish tank, a pelican stooping to scoop up a fish on the sign of Bonner’s Fish Bar in Walthamstow and a howling wolf on a satellite dish, which was taken off the roof of a shop in Peckham, south London, less than an hour after it was unveiled.
A gorilla artwork by artist Banksy at London Zoo in August 2024. (Getty Images)
Other murals included a rhino seemingly mounting a silver Nissan Micra, two elephant silhouettes with their trunks stretched out towards each other and three monkeys that looked as though they were swinging on a bridge.
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Read more: Is Banksy art or graffiti? Here’s what Yahoo readers think
Another piece, a stretching cat on an empty, distressed advertising hoarding, was removed in north west London hours after it was unveiled.
A Banksy piece in Cricklewood, north-west London, was taken down hours after it was unveiled in August 2024. (PA)
A Banksy artwork depicting pelicans eating fish on the side of Bonners Fish Bar in Walthamstow. (PA)
As ever, there is speculation about Banksy’s identity. Who is he?
No. Over the years, there have been various theories and claims about Banksy’s identity, but none have been confirmed.
Banksy’s intentional anonymity allowed him to operate without facing legal repercussions for his often unauthorised street art, which can be considered vandalism in some jurisdictions.
It also allowed him to operate however he pleased without fear of being followed by fans or the media.
Banksy does not support the sale of his art. (Getty)
The general assumption is he lives in or near Bristol, but other than that very little is known about him.
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In a recording of The Banksy Story, from BBC Radio 4, he described himself as a “painter and decorator” and explained why he also likes to glue works of art to buildings like the Louvre, saying: “You don’t want to get stuck in the same line of work your whole life long, do you?”
Since emerging onto the scene in the early 1990s, Banksy has sought to keep his identity a mystery, often wearing masks in the rare interviews he does.
He also never reveals the place he will be doing his next artwork, which is often only noticed after members of the public circulate them on social media.
However, in November 2023, it emerged Banksy “revealed” his name in an unearthed BBC interview from 2003.
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Former BBC reporter Nigel Wrench interviewed Banksy ahead of his Turf War show in east London and asked if he could include his real name. He queried if the name was Robert Banks, to which he replied: “It’s Robbie.”
The elusive artist’s real identity has never been officially revealed but a 2003 interview shed light on who the real Banksy is. (BBC)
Banksy generates income through various means, despite his anonymous persona and unconventional approach.
Part of his persona even rejects the concept of “commercial success” and he has in the past encouraged people not to buy his work.
Banksy has become famous for his distinctive street art. (Getty)
Speaking to Village Voice in 2013, the artist said: “Graffiti art has a hard enough life as it is, before you add hedge fund managers wanting to chop it out and hang it over the fireplace.
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“For the sake of keeping all street art where it belongs, I’d encourage people not to buy anything by anybody, unless it was created for sale in the first place.”
Despite this, he has still likely made a significant sum of money from his work.
Banky’s satirical graffiti has become famous across the world. (Getty)
He has published several books in his time, including best-seller Wall and Piece, and likely generates royalties from that.
Banksy also directed an award-winning documentary called Exit Through The Gift Shop, exploring modern and underground art, which generated more than £3m in profit.
On occasion, Banksy has offered the purchase of some of his art through Pest Control, which is the only way he approves of its sale.
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His Cut & Run exhibition in Glasgow attracted about 180,000 visitors during its 10-week show: his first solo show in 14 years.
Although it is hard to know where an anonymous artist is from, he rose to fame in the early 1990s with spray-painted murals on walls in Bristol and has stayed connected to the city and surrounding area ever since.
Banksy’s art is all over the world in London, New York City, Paris, Bethlehem and elsewhere.
It is difficult to guess how much the artist is worth, but his creations are estimated to be worth nearly £40m.
The Armed Dove street art by Banksy near the Israeli separation West Bank Wall in Bethlehem. (Getty)
However, this valuation is based on the sale of his art which he has not condoned, and the profits usually go to the people who owned the site where the art was located.
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Some of the profits of Banksy’s art may have made its way back to him, but no one knows for sure.
Although never revealed publicly, Banksy fans have identified Joy Millward, who runs a lobby group that campaigns on behalf of charities, as a potential candidate for his wife.
She is married to Robin Gunningham, who has several times been named as the most likely person to be Banksy.
Millward and Gunningham maintain an extremely private life and very little is known about them.
Whether this is a personal choice, or because they are sick of the speculation around supposedly being Banksy and Banksy’s wife, or if Gunningham is in fact Banksy, we may never know.
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