Anonymous street artist Banksy’s first known artworks before fame revealed… and they only came third in school contest
Robin left school at 16 and began dabbling in street art
THESE black and white cartoons are the first known by Robin Gunningham — who is said to be “Banksy”.
They were drawn at school before the rise of the anonymous graffiti artist and have never been seen by fans before.
Robin etched them at Bristol Cathedral School, which he joined in 1984 aged 11, and appeared in a magazine unco-vered by The Sun on Sunday.
He only came third in the contest for which they were drawn.
Banksy’s works, however, sell for about £300,000 and he has amassed a £40million-plus fortune.
One of Robin’s efforts aged 15 is about an “ordinary caveman” called Fred who invents a wheel by accident before making the first cart.
Another, done at 14, called Time Traveller, shows a face trapped in a cube in space.
One school pal said: “He was extremely talented at art.
“He did lots of illustrations and also played rugby.”
He was also praised for his acting and debating skills.
Robin left school at 16 and began dabbling in street art, becoming a comparatively low-key “guerrilla artist.
As Banksy’s work made its mark across the UK, there was much debate as to the artist’s identity.
Many looked to Bristol where a graffiti artist was gaining a reputation for his imaginative spray-painting of walls and trains.
The real Banksy may now be unmasked after an Andrew Gallagher launched a £1.3million High Court defamation case against “the artist known as Bansky”.
The co-defendant is Pest Control Ltd, which sells Banksy’s artwork.
Two weeks ago Banksy filed defence documents, an unexpected move as he was thought to be ready to concede the lawsuit to avoid revealing his true identity.
