LONDON — A report suggested that street artist Banksy is Robin Gunningham, a claim the artist did not deny. The anonymous artist has long been thought to have been born Robin Gunningham around 1972.

After an earlier report in 2008, Banksy changed his legal name to David Jones. David Jones is the second most popular name in Britain and is also the given name of the late rock star David Bowie.

"I feel like they are telling me how a magic trick is done. Sometimes I just want to enjoy the magic trick," said Thomas Evans, an artist, regarding the identity revelation.

Acoris Andipa, a gallery director, said collectors remain focused on the artwork itself rather than the artist's identity. "People buy his works because they absolutely love it. The main feedback that I get is that they really, frankly, don't care if they know who he is," Andipa said.

Joe Syer, founder of MyArtBroker, explained that anonymity serves a broader purpose for the artist. "If anything, Banksy's anonymity has functioned less as a celebrity device and more as a way to keep the work universally accessible, detached from personality, ego, or biography. It allows the work to sit in public space, politically and culturally, without being anchored to an individual in the way the mainstream press often frames it," Syer said. "And that's where the real relevance, and value, sits," Syer added.

Banksy's art has sold or been auctioned for millions. The Royal Courts of Justice removed a stencil showing a judge in traditional wig and gown beating an unarmed protester with a gavel that was attributed to Banksy.