Art Attack’s Neil Buchanan forced to deny he is Banksy after being ‘inundated’ with queries

Remember Neil Buchanan, of Art Attack and the lesser remembered, but no less brilliant, Finders Keepers fame in the 1990s?

Well, if you’ve been wondering what he’s been up to of late, we have some disappointing news.

Neil Buchanan is not Banksy.

The artist and presenter has issued a statement about the anonymous graffiti artist after apparently receiving a slew of messages over the weekend.

It comes after a conspiracy theory identifying him as the secretive street painter went viral on social media.

Headlined ‘Neil Buchanan is NOT Banksy’, the statement on the home page of his website said: “We have been inundated with enquiries over the weekend regarding the current social media story.

“Unfortunately this website does not have the infrastructure to answer all these enquiries individually, however we can confirm that there is no truth in the rumour whatsoever.

“​Neil spent lockdown with vulnerable members of his family and is now preparing to launch his new art collection in 2021.

“Thank you and please stay safe.”

The news has attracted lots of attention, with even John Bradley – aka Samwell Tarly from Game Of Thrones – commenting.

“Neil Buchanan could do Banksy but Banksy couldn’t do Art Attack,” another Buchanan fan posted.

The rumour apparently started with a tweet posted on Friday, which said: “Just heard that it’s rumoured Neil Buchanan is Banksy.

“If true, it’s the funniest sh*t ever. Aintree’s finest. He’s a musician and art has followed in the cities of shows he’s done allegedly. This is straight in the believe without question category.”

Buchanan is indeed a musician, and played in a heavy metal band called Marseille in the 1970s. In fact, according to his website, he chose metal over art when he was younger and toured with the band for several years.

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And in 2010, Marseille reformed, releasing the album Unfinished Business.

Now an artist and photographer, Buchanan is clearly a man of many talents.

But he’s not Banksy. Definitely not Banksy.

Although, that’s what he would say, isn’t it?

Source : Sky News : http://news.sky.com/story/art-attacks-neil-buchanan-forced-to-deny-he-is-banksy-after-being-inundated-with-queries-12066084