TO CATCH AN ARTIST

Banksy Might Soon Be Forced to Reveal Identity

The subversive artist might be charged with “criminal damage” of a heritage building for a mural discovered on Monday.

The renowned anonymous street artist known as Banksy might soon be forced to reveal his identity. According to The Daily Telegraph, the London police have launched an investigation into the subversive artist’s latest mural located near London’s Royal Courts of Justice, which was discovered on Monday. The mural depicts a judge beating a protester bloody with his gavel, likely referencing a protest on Sunday that resulted in the mass arrest of nearly 900 demonstrators supporting Palestine Action, which has been controversially classified as a “terrorist organization” by the British government. On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police announced that the artist may be charged with “criminal damage” for defacing a Grade I heritage building; His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service also announced the mural would be removed. If charged, Banksy might be compelled to reveal his identity in court after 25 years of secrecy and intense speculation. But the artist may find ways to elude the public; when he was sued in court for defamation in 2023, he used a century-old copyright treaty to maintain anonymity. The closest the artist came to revealing his identity was when he told BBC Radio 4’s PM program in 2003 that he goes by “Robbie.”