Is this Banksy? Elusive graffiti artist caught on camera in Santa Monica



His film Exit Through The Gift Shop was nominated for best documentary at the Oscars.



But while those hoping to see Banksy at last night's ceremony would have been left disappointed, drivers in California today caught a glimpse of a man believed to be the reclusive graffiti artist.



Exactly who the man is remains a secret - but the evidence suggests that these photos taken in Santa Monica are of him.



Elusive: Banksy didn't show up at the Oscars last night but a man thought to be the graffiti artist was spotted in Santa Monica today

Wearing a pulled-down green cap, a brown T-shirt and grey Adidas tracksuit bottoms, 'Banksy' scrambled to the top of the old container at the side of a busy highway, on which he had sprayed, 'This Looks A Bit Like An Elephant'.

Banksy is known to go back to photograph his art, as revealed in his book Wall And Piece - and the man here was carrying a camera.



The British artist has been prolific in the last few weeks, with artwork attributed to him springing up all over LA.



Caught on camera: Wearing a baseball cap pulled down low on his face, the figure was spotted on the side of a road attending to his artwork

Dedicated: The Bristol-based keeps his identity a tight secret but his artworks have been springing up across LA in the run up to the Oscars

Joker: Banksy is thought to be the man behind this piece of modern art which compares an old container to an elephant

First there was an image of Mickey Mouse downing a cocktail and putting his arm provocatively around a scantily-clad model, which appeared on a billboard above a petrol station on Sunset Strip.

Then an image of a child holding a machine gun loaded with crayons, standing in a field of brightly-coloured flowers, appeared on the wall of a clothes shop in the Westwood district.



An image of a dog urinating on a wall also showed up in Beverly Hills, while a picture of a Charlie Brown figure starting a fire appeared on the side of a burned-out building on Sunset Boulevard.

Clues: Banksy is known to return to his artwork to photograph it, as revealed in his book Wall And Piece - and this man was carrying a camera

Distinctive work: Banksy has apparently been making his mark on LA with graffiti displays on billboards

The artist, who is thought to be 36 or 37-years-old has amassed a fortune from his graffiti artwork.



Celebrity fans include Christina Aguilera and Kate Moss, whose £80,000 Banksy piece was stolen by thieves during a burglary in May last year.

Last year, the British Prime Minister's wife, Samantha Cameron, gave the Obamas a controversial £2,500 graffiti artwork by Ben Eine, a close friend of Banksy.



Making his mark: Another Banksy work, of a child with a machine gun loaded with crayons, in a field of flowers, was spotted behind a clothes shop in Westwood