A former BBC journalist has revealed that the network played a role in maintaining the anonymity of the elusive street artist Banksy after he reportedly caught him in the act of painting a mural in New York.
Nick Bryant, who served as the BBC’s New York correspondent, recounted an incident in 2018 when he spotted a man leaving a coffee shop near a freshly painted mural, suspecting it was Banksy.
The moment was captured by the BBC’s cameraman as the flustered artist quickly made his getaway.
However, when Bryant contacted his London headquarters to report what he believed was a groundbreaking story, he received an unexpected reaction.
“Shortly after, I received a call from London,” Bryant explained. “A senior colleague relayed that his daughter, who had accompanied him to work, thought it was inappropriate to reveal Banksy’s identity.
She suggested that the BBC shouldn’t be the outlet to spoil the mystery, comparing it to telling children that Santa Claus isn’t real.”
He said that as a Bristolian he felt relieved – fearing backlash from his ‘hometown’.
According to Mr Bryant he was tipped off by the street artist’s public relations team that a new piece would be unveiled at the Houston Bowery Wall.
Nick Bryant (pictured) the BBC’s former New York correspondent said he saw a man coming out of a coffee shop near a newly completed mural in 2018
Banksy’s identity was shrouded in secrecy until The Mail on Sunday launched an investigation in 2008, naming Robin Gunningham (pictured) as the artist
Arriving with the cameraman they asked a security guard on patrol what the artist looked like and he pointed to a ‘middle-aged man wearing a black beanie and a dishevelled grey coat’ leaving a cafe nearby.
Mr Bryant said: ‘Seeing the cameraman, the artist panickily told his assistant to get in and to slam the door. As she did so, I leant in the still open door and hurriedly explained that I was from the BBC and a fellow West Countryman. “Sir, I’m a Bristolian”, were my embarrassing exact words. Fancy calling Banksy “sir”.
‘At that, he put the car into gear and floored it. We filmed him speeding down Houston Street, the takeaway coffee flying comically off the roof.’
Mr Bryant shared his experience on Substack after Banksy unveiled his latest work in London last week.
The new sculpture depicts a suited man on a plinth, his face covered in a flag, blindly stepping off the platform.
The street artist shared a video of it on his Instagram leading to commentators questioning how he had managed to pull off such a stunt in a busy area of central London.
It is located along Pall Mall, near the Athenaeum Club and the Crimean War Memorial.
The 25-foot work is also positioned directly in front of a golden Athena statue and near to statues of Edward VII, Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War Memorial.
The new sculpture depicts a suited man on a plinth, his face covered in a flag, blindly stepping off the platform
In a brief statement, a spokesperson for Banksy said: ‘The artist revealed the unsolicited monument at some point in the early hours of yesterday.
‘It is positioned on a traffic island in Pall Mall where Banksy said “there was a bit of a gap”.’
The artist’s video also featured an anonymous passerby criticising the artwork.
‘I don’t like it. That’s a nice statue up there – I prefer that,’ the man says as he points to another nearby statue.
Banksy’s identity was shrouded in secrecy until The Mail on Sunday launched an investigation in 2008, naming Robin Gunningham as the artist.
In March, Retuters news agency claimed they had also proved that the artist is Mr Gunningham who is said to have changed his name to David Jones.
His identity nevertheless remains unconfirmed.
In September, a Banksy mural showing a protester on the floor holding a blood-spattered placard while a judge hit him with a gavel, appeared on the front of the Royal Courts of Justice building.
It was swiftly covered up by officials, with security guards seen patrolling in front of a screen concealing the artwork.
The artwork followed almost 900 people being arrested in central London at a demonstration supporting banned group Palestine Action, in what was thought to be Britain’s biggest ever mass arrest.
Banksy’s team claimed to Mr Bryant that the man he had met was not the artist, but an assistant adding finishing touches.
