A Reuters investigation has claimed that elusive street artist Banksy has a famous 'painting partner' – Massive Attack singer Robert Del Naja. The report suggests Del Naja assisted Banksy with some large-scale murals, including during a trip to Ukraine in 2022.
Reuters alleges that Banksy, born Robin Gunningham and later using the name David Jones, crossed into Ukraine on 28 October 2022 alongside photographer Giles Duley and Del Naja. The musician has long been rumoured to be Banksy himself, but he has previously dismissed such claims as 'greatly exaggerated'.
Banksy has cited Del Naja as a major influence, writing in a foreword that 'when I was about 10 years old, a kid called 3D was painting the streets hard'. Del Naja, known as 3D, quit graffiti to form Massive Attack.
Banksy's legal representative Mark Stephens responded to the investigation, stating that his client 'does not accept that many of the details contained within [the] enquiry are correct' and that the findings would 'violate the artist's privacy, interfere with his art and put him in danger'.
