A new statue has been spotted in central London, drawing the curiosity of crowds and speculation it may be a new work by the artist known as Banksy.
The sculpture has appeared on a plinth in Waterloo Place, and shows a suited man mid-stride towards the edge, with his vision obscured by a fluttering flag. Banksy’s signature is engraved on the back of the plinth, though the artist has not yet confirmed the artwork through any of his official accounts or social media channels.
Reuters said they interviewed a dozen Banksy-world insiders and experts and unearthed previously undisclosed US court records and police reports in their attempt to unmask the artist. But Banksy’s long-time lawyer, Mark Stephens, replied saying that Banksy “does not accept that many of the details contained within your enquiry are correct”.
In December Banksy confirmed he was the artist behind an artwork of two figures that appeared on the side of a building in Bayswater, London. The work showed a child in a beanie hat and wellingtons lying on the floor next to another person in a bobble hat who points up to the building and sky above.
The street artist later posted two photos of the artwork in Bayswater to his official Instagram account. Banksy is thought to have been born at Bristol Maternity Hospital in the early 1970s.
He rose to fame in the 1990s after he began spray-painting his stencilled designs around Bristol, with his work later appearing in other British cities and around the world.
Now one of the world’s most renowned street artists, his work has gone on to sell for millions – with a winning £1,042,000 bid for his Girl With A Balloon at a Sotheby’s auction in 2018 being dropped into a shredder moments after the gavel dropped. The new, shredded artwork titled Love is in the Bin sold at another auction three years later for £18,582,00.