This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/23/2019
Banksy original 12 x 29.5 panoramic class photograph from the 1989 Bristol Cathedral School featuring the only confirmed facial image of Robin Gunningham, better known as the elusive graffiti artist Banksy. The identity of the Bristol, England native was unveiled by The Daily Mail in an article in 2008, using the image from this photograph to illustrate the article. Banksy is undoubtedly the most famous and notorious artist working today.
The street artist gained art world acclaim beginning in the late 1990s with his politically charged, satirical graffiti which soon became an international sensation. Today, his paintings and art installations routinely top seven figures.
Equally as intriguing is the anonymity of the artist. Despite being world renown for almost two decades, Banksy’s true identity has never been officially revealed.
In 2008, the Daily Mail newspaper published the identity of Banksy as Bristol (England) born Robin Gunningham, along with a 1989 school photograph of Gunningham, then a fifteen year old student at the Bristol Cathedral School. The image of the bespectacled Gunningham reminded many of another (yet fictional) English public school teenager, one Harry Potter.
Since then, only a handful of images have surfaced purporting to be Banksy, the latest being a photo of the back of Banksy’s head which sold for a staggering $43,600. To date, the 1989 Bristol Cathedral School photograph is the only verified image of Robin Gunningham.
Measures 12 x 29.5. Excellent condition. Comes with a Gotta Have Rock & Roll™ Certificate of Authenticity.