Prints, notes, and burner phones: Banksy's former agent is saying goodbye to his archive

2 months ago 8

Banksy prints, handwritten notes, a pair of trainers - and even a collection of "burner phones" - are among scores of items set to be auctioned from "the most definitive archive" of his early work.

Steve Lazarides, the anonymous street artist's former agent and photographer, is auctioning artwork and other mementos amassed over more than 10 years of collaboration from the late 1990s.

He has held on to his collection since he and Banksy parted ways, but told Sky News it is now time "to move on". The sale is estimated to make $2m (about £1.54m).

Julien's, in California, will host the auction of more than 170 lots, including proof prints of famous works such as Love Is In The Air, Girl With Balloon, and several Rude Coppers, as well as a pair of special edition "owned and worn" Puma trainers (UK size 9, if that reveals anything) and 15 "burner phones used... to covertly contact Banksy when necessary", including Nokia, Sony and Motorola models.

The term burner phone is slang for a typically cheap, pay-as-you-go mobile that can not easily be traced to the user.

Lazarides said "there could well be stuff" still on the mobiles, but did not give any more away.

"The burner phone was bought every couple of weeks to be used as walkie talkies and every single message was simply 'call me'," he said. "It became like a James Bond espionage fun game, and using the communication choice of drug dealers was a riot!"

Banksy would not have been able to get away with everything he did in those early days without him, Lazarides said. And "there were others who helped, also".

The auction, titled Under Duress, includes hand-cut stencils featuring famous Banksy rats and chimpanzees. The item estimated to fetch the highest price is the Drill Rat stencil, with an additional hand-cutting of Banksy's name attached, which is expected to sell for up to $200,000 (£154,000).

Bidding has already started online, with a proof print of Girl With Balloon currently attracting the highest offer, of $60,000 (£46,250).

Lazarides, who previously worked as a gallerist in and around Soho, central London, said he had always been a collector "of those weird little bits and bobs that look quite fun", and "half the time it was just shit that was left in my car, or when we moved studios and it never got taken out the van or the car".

Julien's co-founder Darren Julien has described it as an "astonishing collection" offering an "unprecedented look at the history and path of the man that would become the world's most famous and visionary artist". The auction, he added, is a "historic opportunity for the next caretaker to own the most comprehensive and definitive archive of Banksy's legacy".

While the work represents a huge part of Lazarides' life, he said it felt cathartic to let go. He now wants to move on, go back to working as a photographer, and use the money to spend on his family.

"I'm the kind of person, if I'm letting go of one bit then it can all go. And it's kind of, it's done, that's over, I can start moving on and doing something else and make some space in my cupboard... it's been all pervasive for the last 25 years and it was time to move on."

The item he has found most difficult to let go of is not a print, but a mission statement and logo for Pictures On Walls, the company he set up with Banksy "to let ordinary people love and afford art". He says it was both his "and Banksy's proudest moment".

For years, Banksy's identity has been the subject of much speculation. Most recently, the artist made headlines for a series of animal-themed artworks that sprang up across different areas of London over a nine-day period.

Lazarides said he liked the police box filled with fish, the seventh work in the series, which appeared in the City of London, but not much else.

"When he gets it right, he's the best f****** artist in the world. That's why I gave so much of my time to him, he's brilliant.

"That series of London paintings, I don't really understand where the politics have gone. And if there was a hidden meaning then he failed because you shouldn't have to find another meaning as a viewer. Certainly not with graffiti, everyone should be able to understand it. Certainly with his.

"I don't know, maybe he's crippled by the fact there's so many things to talk about, it's easier to talk about nothing."

What does Lazarides think the future holds for Banksy?

"I predict one day he will reveal himself and hopefully enjoy his life. I told him many times to do so."

And if he did? "No one would believe it anyway!"

The Under Duress auction, the Banksy archive Of Steve Lazarides, starts at 10am local time (5pm in the UK) on 31 October

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