Jamie Hewlett during Gorillaz Artwork Unveiled at the Royal Festival Hall at Royal Festival Hall in London (Picture: WireImage)

Comic artist and Gorillaz founder Jamie Hewlett could be behind anonymous street artist Banksy, according to a forensic expert.

The source, who asked to remain anonymous because he might get ‘hate mail for unmasking him’, believes he has finally unveiled the mystery surrounding the graffiti star, by simply following a company ownership trail.

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The data, viewed by Metro.co.uk, shows that a ‘J Hewlett’ is associated with every company known to be connected to the anonymous artist.

The south London-based source said: ‘I really believe it could be Jamie Hewlett. Or at least he seems to own all things Banksy.’




Hewlett, 50, from Horsham, Sussex, where Banksy has struck many times, is famous for creating the virtual alternative rock band with Damon Albarn.

Banksy’s art is used in the music video for Tomorrow Comes Today (Picture: Metro Grab)

Blur’s Think Tank album was also created by the artist (Picture: Parlophone)

Adding fuel to the fire, Banksy’s renowned gorilla stencil appears in Gorillaz’s official music video for Tomorrow Comes Today.

The street artist is also behind the Think Tank album cover for Hewlett’s co-creator Albarn’s other band Blur.

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Publicist for Banksy, Joanna Brooks, replied to an email from Metro.co.uk saying: ‘I can confirm that Jamie Hewlitt is not the artist Banksy.’

The expert responded: ‘It’s Jamie Hewlett, not Hewlitt. Not sure if that’s them being technical?’

The expert, in his mid-30s, discovered the trail after searching through Companies House, a site that registers company information available to the public, for beneficial ownership of every company connected to the iconic artist.

Banksy has created several pieces in Sussex, including this, where Hewlett is from (Picture: Rex)

He explained: ‘Paranoid Pictures, sole production company of Banksy’s documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop, is owned by Pest Control Office ltd, the agency used to buy Banksy art.

‘Pest Control Office is owned by Picturesonwalls Limited, a company used to sell prints of other street artists. Pictuesonwalls ltd is owned by Jamie Hewlett.’

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‘Therefore, it seems Jamie Hewlett is the ultimate beneficial owner of all Banksy companies, so if he isn’t Banksy, he must be very close to him.’

Complex magazine has also previously confirmed that Hewlett is the main shareholder of Picturesonwalls.

Metro.co.uk can confirm that documents from Companies House, which date back to 2005, show the name ‘J Hewlett’ as shareholder of Picturesonwalls Limited.

‘Portrait of Basquiat being welcomed by the Metropolitan Police’ by Banksy (Picture: Rex Features)

Banksy’s Oscar-nominated documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, from 2010, where Banksy himself is credited as a director, was made by production company Paranoid Pictures Film Company Limited.

The expert, who has not worked with Banksy or Hewlett, continued: ‘Looking through the filing history of Paranoid Pictures Film Company Limited, the incorporation document states that Pest Control Office ltd was the owner of all shares in Paranoid Pictures Film Company, the subscriber on all shares is Picturesonwalls Limited.

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‘The annual return shows J Hewlett as the only shareholder. He appears to be the main owner of all things Banksy.’



Pictures on Walls has a website where people can buy prints and original artwork from street artists including Banksy and Hewlett. The website helps artist, including Banksy, stay anonymous.

When Metro.co.uk looked through documents, the same names are repeated and linked to several of the companies mentioned above.

Hewlett and Albarn are behind the band Gorillaz (Picture: Maxppp)

Nominated for ten Brit Awards, Gorillaz won the award for Best British Group at the 2018 Brit Awards (Picture: FilmMagic)

Holly Caushing, reportedly Banksy’s manager, Simon Durban, believed to be Banksy’s accountant, and Steven Lazarudez, known to be the artist’s ex-gallerist, can all be linked to the companies named by the source.

A connection between the artist, Hewlett and Albarn is also confirmed by the Gorillaz members’ visits to Banksy’s gallery opening and exhibitions.

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The source added: ‘The last confirmation statement shows that Hewlett transferred the shares to someone called Mark Samuel Chambers.

‘This has happened since I started making noise,’ he added before asking whether this was ‘incidental’.

The expert said it was suspicious in itself that a Hewlett and Banksy google search didn’t imply a connection, adding: ‘It seems strange that this connection has not been made before. It’s all in the public domain.’

A Reddit thread has also discussed the ‘incidental’ connection between Gorillaz and Banksy, with one saying: ‘I feel like we should stop discussing this before we figure it out.’

Hewlett is a comic book artist (Picture: Maxppp)

The source said Hewlett looks like a man caught on camera believed to be Banksy (Picture: PA)

Numerous attempts have been made to unmask Banksy, and last year a woman claimed she caught the artist on camera outside the Banksy Hotel in Israel.

The expert added that the man in the video ‘looks quite similar’ to Hewlett.


The iconic street artist’s reputation has been shrouded by the mystery of his identity since the first piece of art appeared in the 1990s.

It has been stated that the political activist’s reason for secrecy is that graffiti is a crime.

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