Signed Banksy-like sculpture appears in central London, stirs speculation

A new sculpture of a suited figure marching off the edge of a plinth has appeared in St James’s, turning Waterloo Place into the latest stage for speculation over Banksy, authorship and public space. The work was first spotted on Wednesday, 29 April 2026, outside the Athenaeum Club and close to the statues of Edward VII and Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War Memorial, just up the stairs from the Institute of Contemporary Arts on The Mall.

The piece shows a man stepping forward as if into motion, but his face is obscured by a large flag. That visual choice has driven readings of the work as a satirical political image, with the figure seeming to march ahead while blind to danger. The installation has also been described as one of the largest examples of guerrilla art seen in London in recent years, a scale that has helped draw crowds to a site already dense with state, military and civic monuments.

The base appears to bear Banksy’s name, yet the artist has not confirmed authorship through his verified channels. That delay matters because Banksy typically announces new work on Instagram, and recent London murals have not been signed, making the presence of a signature both notable and uncertain. Some observers have also pointed out that a name on the plinth does not prove who installed it, even as the attribution has intensified attention around the piece.

The installation echoes Banksy’s earlier statue intervention in London. In 2004, he placed The Drinker on Shaftesbury Avenue, a subversive nod to Rodin’s The Thinker, and it was stolen soon afterward. The new sculpture arrives after fresh scrutiny of Banksy’s identity, including a March 2026 Reuters investigation that reported identifying the artist as Robin Gunningham, a Bristol-born man. Banksy has not publicly confirmed that reporting.

If the work is genuine, Pest Control is the only official body authorized to authenticate Banksy’s commercial works. That makes the question of the signature more than a matter of curiosity. In a city where a single installation can redirect foot traffic, public debate and market value, a figure stepping off a plinth has become a pointed reminder that authorship can be part of the artwork itself.