Could this mystery man in a bowler hat be Banksy?
“That’s Banksy.”
A quirky mystery man in a bowler hat spotted photographing a soon-to-be-destroyed Banksy has sparked wild speculation that he is the long-elusive street artist.
A UK TV crew spotted the man — who was also seen wearing a long black coat and glasses — as he took phone pics soon after news emerged that the famous street artist’s latest stencil had just been destroyed in Herne Bay in Kent.
Builders told KMTV reporter Sofia Akin that the same man had been there the previous day, taking snaps before anyone knew there was a Banksy there — and similar to the ones the mystery artist later posted online.
“That’s Banksy,” construction workers told Akin confidently, saying they saw him with a crew before the artwork confirmed it was by the world’s most famous anonymous artist.
“I asked ‘Banksy’ for an interview and he said he wouldn’t,” said Akin, whose crew filmed him taking photos and talking to builders before scampering off when he realized he was being filmed, she said.
Other people nearby also asked if he was Banksy “and he just laughed, not denying it,” the Kent Online TV reporter said.
“I think that was Banksy who just walked away,” one local resident also told KMTV. “I mean, that was staggering — that he was actually here and walked past me.”
Banksy — or someone on his team — had clearly been to the site before the artwork was destroyed, with the artist’s Instagram page sharing images of the work, “Morning is broken,” showing the silhouette of a boy and a cat appearing to open some curtains.
As with KMTV’s timeline, someone took pictures of the art before people knew it was there — and hung around to get other pics of the derelict building being demolished before people got to see his work in person.
The demolition crew later told the same local outlet that they “felt sick” when they realized they’d destroyed a Banksy.
It was not clear if the person they saw on the scene revealed his identity to them or if they just assumed it was him because of the timing.
One local fan of the artist rushed to the scene soon after Banksy confirmed the art was his, and said much of it remained in one piece in the construction dumpster.
Banksy expert John Brandler suggested: “We can restore this. This isn’t a major disaster if we are given access to the property and can sort it out.”
The artist’s works have sold for tens of millions, with collectors including A-list stars. The value of the latest work would “depend on how much is salvageable, how much can be restored and how much would be original,” he told KMTV.
It is not the first time people have claimed to have snapped Banksy at work, adding to the enigmatic artist’s appeal.
The Mail on Sunday has published photos while claiming his real name is Robin Gunningham, which Banksy’s UK-based art dealer denied. Other reports have also suggested he could even be trip-hop legend Robert “3D” Del Naja of Massive Attack or even a collective of numerous like-minded artists.
In 2003, someone claiming to be Banksy was interviewed by The Guardian, which described him as looking like a cross of rapper Mike Skinner from The Streets and gruff UK actor Jimmy Nail.
Still, interviewer Simon Hattenstone wondered if it really was him — with “Banksy” admitting: “You have no guarantee of that whatsoever.”
KMTV conceded that the bowler hat-wearing man taking photos could be a similar distraction.
The outlet said it shared its pictures with an anonymous person who claims to know the famous artist — and they expressed doubts it was actually him, without elaborating on how they would know.