A builder from London has hit out at rumours that he is Banksy, and told those making the claims to “grow up and get a life”.
The man in question is called George Georgiou, who has been mistaken for the elusive street artist ever since he was seen installing Perspex around one of the artworks that appeared in North London back in 2024.
A Banksy piece appeared overnight on Hornsey Road, near Finsbury Park, in March of that year. When Georgiou was spotted trying to protect the artwork, people were quick to point out the similarities in his appearance to those of Robin Gunningham.
Gunningham was first reported as being the anonymous artist back in 2008 by The Mail On Sunday. Earlier this month, an in-depth investigation was published by journalists at Reuters, and claimed that he was “beyond dispute” the artist in question.
Now, in a new interview with The Daily Mail, Georgiou has spoken about being repeatedly mistaken for Gunningham, and hit out at those who are spreading rumours involving him.
Greek builder mistaken for Banksy denies rumors after London mural appears https://t.co/jJtaTa66L7 pic.twitter.com/liALOKOFvl
— Greek City Times (@greekcitytimes) March 17, 2026
“I’m not Banksy… It’s really annoying, it’s ridiculous and it’s disturbing. The first day, it was a laugh. It’s a bit of an old joke now,” he said.
He also explained that he was putting Perspex around the artwork in 2024 as a favour to his sons, who owned the building.
“Grow up. Get a life. If Banksy were to be found, he wouldn’t be standing there [putting Perspex up the next day],” he added. “I’m sure he is well enough endowed not to have to go there doing building work. He runs in, does what he does and then sods off and disappears. That’s why no one knows who he is.”
Georgiou went on to say that he didn’t see the similarities between himself and Gunningham in appearance, and quipped that he wishes he was Banksy so that “no one would know who the fuck I am. Unfortunately, they found me”.
As for why the comparisons and speculation bothered him to such an extent, Georgiou said: “It’s just really annoying because I’m still working. It’s disrupting my day endlessly.
“It’s just the day-to-day, every five minutes you pick up the bloody phone and it’s just someone having a giggle. That’s all it is. It’s all harmless stuff, but when you’re trying to get on with your life, it’s just really annoying. It’s just a pain in the butt.”
Banksy's new work appeared in north London, it depicts the crown of a tree in the form of green paint drips
The artist himself confirmed that the work belongs to him, posting a photo of it on his page in Instagram. pic.twitter.com/0LgYrTmYVv
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 18, 2024
As for whether he was still grateful to have the Banksy piece on the side of his sons’ building, he added: “It’s all been a big waste of time to be honest… It’s a bit of graffiti at the end of the day.”
“[The mural] has done nothing. In fact, that side of the wall was due a repaint and we had it on the books to do it that spring,” he added. “Since that happened, we haven’t been able to paint it. It’s all flaky. It looks bloody horrible. Just get rid of it.”
Banksy started his career in the ‘90s and rose to global fame for his anonymity and distinctive stencilled spray paintings – which often comment on political issues. Recent decades have seen his paintings sell for millions, and among the many people rumoured to be behind the alias is Massive Attack’s Robert De Naja.
In the Reuters report, the journalists claim that Banksy is in fact Robin Gunningham, although it says he changed his name to David Jones some years ago. Among the evidence they accumulated is a 2022 Ukraine trip that Gunningham made with Del Naja, as well as photographs posted by former associates, and a handwritten confession note from an arrest in New York in 2000.
In response to the Reuters story, Banksy’s lawyer Mark Stephens wrote that his client “does not accept that many of the details contained within [the] enquiry are correct”.
Stephens also said the story “would violate the artist’s privacy, interfere with his art and put him in danger”, as “working anonymously or under a pseudonym serves vital societal interests.”
More attempts to get to the bottom of Banksy’s identity have included a BBC radio recording from 2003 that resurfaced 20 years later, and a legal tussle in 2024 that threatened to wind up in court, at which point he might have been forced to reveal his true identity.
Recent artworks from Banksy have included the mural of a judge attacking a protester with a gavel outside the Royal Courts of Justice last year – widely believed to be a comment on the arrest of hundreds of people for supporting Palestine Action – as well as a dummy immigrant boat that was launched into the crowd during IDLES’ show at Glastonbury 2024.
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