A mysterious new sculpture has appeared in central London – and has been claimed as the work of elusive street artist Banksy.
The statue depicts a suited man stepping off a plinth after having his sight obscured by a waving flag, and was first spotted on Waterloo Place in St James on Wednesday (29 April).
Those who encountered it noticed Banksy’s name scrawled at the bottom – and he has since confirmed the artwork is his on his official Instagram page.
The artist, more commonly known for his graffiti, typically takes ownership of his work on his website shortly after they surface.
The artist previously installed a statue on Shaftesbury Avenue in 2004. Named The Drinker, the piece, his own take on The Thinker by Rodin, was stolen shortly after being erected.
Banksy, long thought to have been born Robin Gunningham, began creating street art in Bristol in the Nineties and became one of the world’s best-known artists. His paintings and installations sell for millions of dollars at auction – and he has gained particular notoriety with his political artworks.
The mystery of his identity has long been part of the value of his art, but earlier this year, Banksy was “unmasked” by Reuters.
Banksy’s apparent identity has reportedly been an open secret among protective fellow artists and has long been easy to find online for those who wanted to know. Gunningham has denied being Banksy.
The most recent confirmed Banksy was a mural depicting two children lying down and pointing up at the sky, which surfaced on the side of a building in Bayswater in December 2025.
Two months prior, he made headlines with a mural showing a judge holding a gavel looming over an unarmed protester holding a blood-splattered placard. While the artwork didn’t make overt reference to a particular event or cause, some activists saw it as a comment on the UK government’s ban on the group Palestine Action.
That piece, which appeared on an external wall of a Royal Courts of Justice building, was swiftly covered up and authorities said it had to be removed out of consideration of the building’s historical significance.