Banksy

Banksy Robin Gunningham cartoon

Banksy identified as Robin Gunningham

It has long been rumoured that the real name of the graffiti artist Banksy is Robin Gunningham. For many years I’ve been of the opinion that the media, the press and the art world must know exactly who Banksy is but that it’s in their interest to keep it secret – after all, a huge part of Banksy’s appeal is the fact that he’s a mysterious , romantic, rebellious individual rather than just some bloke. How his real name isn’t common knowledge due to spoiler messages on social media is a mystery to me – almost more mysterious than is Banksy’s actual identity itself.

It’ll be interesting to see whether his real name is well publicised or is quietly dropped and forgotten.
Banksy cartoon

Banksy cartoon.

A cartoon featuring a queue for a Banksy exhibition, one of whom is a girl who features in several of Banksy’s stencil artworks (In the cartoon the girl is also a stencil on the wall).

The cartoon was created at the time of the Banksy exhibition in the Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA) in Glasgow, 2023.

Drawn: July 2023

First published: The Critic magazine. July 2023

Cartoon reference number: a958b
Banksy cartoon

Banksy cartoon.

A cartoon showing a queue for a Banksy exhibition. One of the people in the queue is a girl who features in several of Banksy’s stencil works (In the cartoon she is actually a stencil herself, on the wall in the cartoon).

The cartoon was drawn at the time of the Banksy exhibition in Glasgow’s Gallery of Modern Art (GoMA), summer 2023.

Drawn: July 2023

First published (colour version): The Critic magazine. July 2023

Cartoon reference number: a958
Banksy cartoon – Monet waterlilies

Banksy cartoon – Show me the Monet.

A cartoon about the sale of a Banksy parody of Monet’s waterlily pond and bridge at Givency with rubbish dumped in the pond.

The work was sold at Sotherby’s for £7.5million.

Drawn: 22nd October 2020

Cartoon reference number: a858
Banksy parody

Banksy parody.

Girl with balloon

A parody of Banksy’s Girl with Balloon image, with the balloon replaced by a £ sign.

The image was inspired by the sale of the version of Banksy’s Girl with Balloon that shredded itself immediately after it was sold at Sotheby’s for a very large sum of money, thus increasing its value even more.
Was the work intended to be a protest at the nature of the contemporary art market? And was the fact that the piece immediately increased in value following its shredding part of Banksy’s plan, and a deliberate dig at the art market? Also, was the piece actually supposed to go all the way though the shredder and end up as a pile of spaghetti on the floor but for the fact that the shredder jammed?

Cartoon reference number: a766