In the cool, gray dawn of Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Londoners passing through Waterloo Place were greeted by an unexpected sight: a striking new statue, perched just outside the Athenaeum Club and within sight of the Crimean War Memorial. This latest addition to the city’s storied public art landscape depicts a suited man, caught mid-stride as he steps forward off a plinth, his face completely obscured by the billowing fabric of a flag he holds aloft. The statue, positioned on a traffic island in Pall Mall—where, according to the artist, “there was a bit of a gap”—seemed to appear overnight, causing a flurry of speculation and excitement among art lovers and passersby alike.
Within hours, the art world was abuzz with a familiar question: is this the work of Banksy, the enigmatic street artist whose creations have become a global phenomenon? The answer came swiftly. On Thursday, April 30, Banksy confirmed the statue as his own, posting a video of the installation process to his official Instagram account. The video, underscored by the sound of marching, fanfare-like music, ends with a man off-camera dismissively stating, “No, I don’t like it. That’s a nice statue up there. I prefer that.” According to the BBC, Banksy’s representatives also confirmed to the outlet that the statue was installed in the early hours of Wednesday.
The statue’s location is no accident. Waterloo Place sits just 450 meters from Downing Street and is surrounded by monuments to historical figures such as Edward VII and Florence Nightingale. Its proximity to Buckingham Palace and the area’s reputation for posh shops and gentlemen’s clubs only heighten the intrigue. Banksy’s name was found scrawled at the base of the statue, a rare but unmistakable signature from an artist more commonly associated with graffiti and murals than three-dimensional works.
This isn’t Banksy’s first foray into sculpture. Back in 2004, he installed a piece called The Drinker on Shaftesbury Avenue—a cheeky take on Rodin’s The Thinker—which was swiftly stolen after its appearance. Yet, it’s his murals that have cemented his reputation, often appearing suddenly and disappearing just as quickly, their meaning debated by critics and fans alike. As The Independent notes, Banksy’s art is often politically charged, drawing attention to social issues and government actions in a way that’s both subversive and accessible.
Recent works offer more context to the new statue’s arrival. In December 2025, Banksy created a mural in west London depicting two children in Wellington boots and winter hats, one of them pointing skyward. Just two months prior, in October, he painted a mural outside the Royal Courts of Justice showing a judge with a gavel poised above a protester holding a blood-spattered placard. That piece, interpreted by some activists as a response to the UK government’s ban on the group Palestine Action, was quickly covered up and removed by authorities, who cited the historical significance of the building. As LADbible points out, Banksy’s works often vanish almost as quickly as they appear, a pattern that only adds to their mystique.
But the mystery of Banksy extends far beyond his art. For decades, the artist’s identity has been one of the art world’s most tantalizing secrets. Once dismissed by authorities as a mere vandal, Banksy has since become a British national treasure. According to the BBC, he’s been rated more popular than Rembrandt and Monet in public surveys, and his iconic “Girl with Balloon” painting was voted the nation’s favorite artwork. The intrigue surrounding his identity has only fueled his legend, with British newspapers and fans alike speculating endlessly about who he might be.
Earlier this year, however, that mystery was dealt its most serious blow yet. After a years-long investigation, Reuters reported that Banksy is Robin Gunningham, a Bristol-born artist who allegedly changed his name to David Jones back in 2007. The news agency claims to have obtained a handwritten confession signed with Gunningham’s real name, reigniting debates about whether Banksy’s true identity had finally been uncovered. This theory isn’t new—The Mail on Sunday floated it as far back as 2008—but Reuters’ reporting brought fresh scrutiny and a new wave of public interest.
Not everyone is convinced by the supposed unmasking. Gunningham himself has denied being Banksy, and the artist’s longtime lawyer, Mark Stephens, was quick to dispute Reuters’ findings. In a letter to the agency, Stephens wrote that Banksy “does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct.” He stopped short of providing specifics, but emphasized the risks of exposing Banksy’s identity, noting that the artist has “been subjected to fixated, threatening and extremist behaviour.” For Stephens, the stakes go beyond personal safety: “Working anonymously or under a pseudonym serves vital societal interests,” he wrote. “It protects freedom of expression by allowing creators to speak truth to power without fear of retaliation, censorship or persecution—particularly when addressing sensitive issues such as politics, religion or social justice.”
Banksy’s former manager, Steve Lazarides, has also weighed in on the subject, describing anonymity as both a shield and a burden. “The anonymity was a big thing, it started off with self-preservation in Bristol. He didn’t want to get caught, he didn’t want to go to jail, fair enough. And then as the years went by and it went on for longer, I think that the anonymity became quite a disease. Everyone has this figure in their mind, they have a folk hero, and it looks different in everybody’s mind. He’s never really got to enjoy the fame he got,” Lazarides explained, according to LADbible.
Despite the latest revelations, many in the art world—and among Banksy’s legion of fans—seem content to let the mystery endure. As the BBC reports, some members of Banksy’s inner circle have signed non-disclosure agreements, while others keep silent out of loyalty or fear of crossing the artist and his influential company, Pest Control Office, which authenticates his work and manages sales. The secrecy, for some, is as essential to Banksy’s art as the stencils and paint themselves.
The statue in Waterloo Place is already drawing crowds, its meaning and message debated on social media and in the press. Is it a commentary on identity, on the act of protest, or on the ways we see—and fail to see—those around us? As with much of Banksy’s work, the answer may depend on who’s looking. But one thing is certain: even as his name circles the headlines, Banksy’s ability to surprise, provoke, and delight remains undiminished.
For now, the suited man with the flag stands watch over central London—a silent, enigmatic sentinel in a city that’s grown accustomed to expecting the unexpected from its most elusive artist.