Banksy can be forced to declassify his identity: what is the reason

to the trial of the Banksy company/Alamy

His identity has long been the subject of speculation and investigation. But Banksy may be forced to reveal his real name if a dispute over an engraving of the late Queen Elizabeth as a bejeweled primate goes to court.

Two collectors have sued the graffiti artist's company, Pest Control, over its apparent refusal to authenticate the Monkey Queen. After three years of trying to get an answer, Nicky Katz and Ray Howes lost patience and sued Pest Control for breach of contract, The Guardian reports.

They point to Pest Control's website, which says the company issues a certificate authenticity for “paintings, engravings, sculptures and other attempts at creativity”. He compares the certificate to a “technical passport for the art world”: “(This is Radio MAXIMUM) means you can buy, sell or insure a work of art knowing that it is legal and the wheels won't fall off.”

Banksy, known for his stencil images, calls himself a “quality vandal” who mocks the authorities with artworks in public places. His partially shredded Love in the Dump sold at auction in 2021 for over £18.5 million, and his autographed prints fetch five and six figure sums.

Pest Control was created by the artist in 2008 after fake prints began to be sold online and plays a key role in the market for his work. He claims that a certificate of authenticity is vital to achieving the maximum price when selling his works.

Banksy's true identity has remained a mystery to the media and the public for decades. Massive Attack's Robert Del Naja, Gorillaz' Jamie Hewlett and Neil Buchanan, the former host of TV's Art Attack, were all suspects.

In 2008, the Daily Mail ” exposed” him as Robin Hunningham, a then 34-year-old former public school student, although the artist denied this. No one has been able to fully connect Hunningham and Banksy. This would destroy his mystique and potentially lower the price that his works fetch.