Now That Burial's Revealed Himself, Who Are The Remaining Anonymous Artist Icons?

Burial's selfie almost made my iPhone spontaneously shatter this morning. I'm a definite fanboy, but something about the reveal felt like the end of an era.

In case you missed it, the notoriously reclusive artist finally confirmed his identity with a photo (above) and note posted on Hyperdub's website today. Not only does this disprove the widespread Internet conspiracy theories about Four Tet moonlighting as the 2-step legend on his off time, but it raises an interesting question about artist anonymity in the age of the Internet.

Who are the other living legends in the arts and culture world who have remained faceless? Furthermore, do we actually want to see their real face? After Daft Punk sweeped the Grammys this week, TMZ went crazy when the robo-duo were forced to remove their helmets at LAX. We'd link to the photo, but that feels like a cultural sin.

When we see our favorite artists--idealized, famous beings that are bigger in our heads than mere mortal peers--do we lose something precious about their work? Revealing someone's artistic facade or identity makes us self-aware that there's a spectacle in place, and some of the magic disappears. From MF Doom to Thomas Pynchon, which famous artists are still anonymous, and does it do the world any good to know the men behind the masks?

There are a few photos floating around the web that reveal the faces of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, better known as Daft Punk. Linking to these photos feels pointless and derivative, though, because we love Daft Punk for being robots. They are android/cyborg producers who are so prolific on a non-human scale that considering them as anything besides A.I. creatures is almost an insult to their talent (or, brand). Taking off their helmets removes them from a creative pedestal in a way that doesn't do anyone justice.

"Yes, no? Villain, Metal face to Destroy/Guess so, still incredible in escrow." Though rap's oddest wordsmith doesn't need a piece of iron to separate himself from every other MC in the game, the mask helps. Not only does it set him up for some of our favorite rhyme schemes, but it lends itself to some epic album art and ephemera, like mask-shaped rings. Obviously merch isn't important in regards to his anonymity, but it allows us to bring the mask home with us, too.

In a recent New York Magazine article titled, "On The Thomas Pynchon Trail," the publication included a "speculative rendering" of what fiction's most elusive mastermind might look like. It was an interesting effort, since the speculation was based on an even earlier speculation--the famously odd photo of the author from his Navy days that may or may not actually be real. What was the point, though? We know he's one person, and not a legendary super ghostwriter made of America's famous writers. Pynchon does live in the "Yupper East Side," and his son does attend Columbia. But still, shouldn't we focus on his work and not his identity? Isn't that the point of his anonymity?

Side note: A friend who went to high school with Pynchon junior once showed me a sneaky candid he took of the family, though who knows if that's even real. If it was, however, NY Mag definitely got it wrong.

Street art's most famous vigilante is notorious for hiding his identity--even going as far as hiring graffiti goons to share his work in public places. The artist's documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop sparked many conversations about artistic identity versus personal identity when talk erupted about Banksy actually being the doc subject, Mr. Brainwash. Though it probably doesn't matter what Banksy looks like, he has good reason to hide--the dude has more fines on deck than we could ever fathom. Though to be fair, he could definitely afford them.

What other artists still hide behind a mask or veil of mystery? Let us know in the comments section and tell us if you'd actually like to see their face without obfuscation.

@zachsokol