Did you have a Banksy identity reveal on your 2024 Bingo card? Neither did we. Art collectors Nicky Katz and Ray Howse have taken legal action against Banksy’s company, Pest Control, for their refusal to authenticate one of his artworks, Monkey Queen. If taken to court — which isn’t yet a certainty — Banksy may be forced to reveal his name.

Despite a promise of authenticity certificates on the Pest Control website, Banksy’s company has dodged Katz and Howse’s request for three years, the reasons for which are unclear. But John Bradler, an expert on graffiti artists, speculates that Pest Control has not released the certification “because Banksy will only certify works that he wants particular individuals to have.”

Pest Control was set up in 2008 to combat fake prints after they were sold online under Banksy’s name. These certificates of authenticity play a key role in selling (or reselling) the artist’s work for exorbitant prices. Currently, the print in question could fetch a handsome price of USD 70-90k if authenticated.

Why keep his identity a secret? The mystery is intrinsic to the Banksy brand, and at this point, destroying the mystique surrounding his identity, which has been under speculation since his emergence in the late 1990s, could drastically affect the price of his work. However, this isn’t likely to be a significant concern for Banksy, who has repeatedly called collectors of his art “ morons,” and even shredded work that was sold for USD mns.

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