Banksy prints, notes, and burner phones: The anonymous artist’s former agent is saying goodbye to his archive
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.
These Puma trainers have ‘Turf War’ embroidered on the heels, and ‘Banksy’ inside. Pic: Julien’s/Steve Lazarides
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”.
This Drill Rat stencil is expected to fetch the highest price, with an estimate of up to $200,000. Pic: Julien’s/Steve Lazarides
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”.
A print of Love Is In The Air is also among the items up for auction. Pic: Julien’s/Steve Lazarides
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”.
A print of Banksy’s Pulp Fiction is also included. Pic: Julien’s/Steve Lazarides
Read more:
Banksy – the most revealing photo yet?
Two men charged with stealing Banksy painting
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.
The design of swimming fish appeared on a police box in the City of London in August, one of nine animal-themed designs in total. Pic: PA
“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
Angelina Jolie says although she appreciates being an artist, she would prefer for her legacy to be “a good mother” and to be known for her “belief in equality and human rights”.
The Oscar-winning actress stars as Maria Callas in the new Pablo Larrain film about the opera singer’s life.
Pic: StudioCanal
She has called Maria “the hardest” and “most challenging” role she has had in her career and put months of preparation into immersing herself into the world of opera.
Jolie, who recently reached a divorce settlement with actor Brad Pitt, told Sky News: “To be very candid, it was the therapy I didn’t realise I needed. I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out.
“So, the challenge wasn’t the technical [side of opera], it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express. You have to give every single part of yourself.”
The biopic combines the voice of the Maleficent actress with recordings of Maria Callas.
Jolie believes it “would be a crime to not have [Callas’] voice through this because, in many ways, she is very present in this film”.
Who was Maria Callas?
Born in New York in 1923, Maria Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants who moved back to Athens at the age of 13 with her mother and sister.
After enrolling at the Athens Conservatory, she made her professional debut at 17 and went on to become one of the most famous faces of opera, travelling around the world and performing at Covent Garden in London, The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan.
Callas’s final operatic performance took place at Covent Garden in 1965 when she was 41 but she continued to work conducting master classes at Juilliard School, doing concert tours and starring in the 1969 film Medea.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Maria focuses on the artist’s final years in the 1970s when she moved to Paris and disappeared from public view.
She died on 16 September 1977 at the age of 53.
Pic: StudioCanal
Jolie on changing motivations as an actor
Maria follows the life of an artist fully consumed by the art she creates and even remarks that “happiness never developed a beautiful melody”.
Reflecting on her own life in the spotlight, Jolie said she noticed her own career motivations change over the years.
“There’s this kind of study of being human that we do when we create, and we communicate with an audience because our work is not in isolation – it’s a connection.
“I think when I was younger, I had different questions about being human and different feelings and now as I’ve gotten older, I understand some things and now I have different questions.
“It’s a matter of life, right? And so maybe that’s interesting that this now is a character really contemplating death and really contemplating the toll of certain things in life that I, of course, couldn’t have understood in my 20s”.
Jolie at the New York Film Festival in September with three of her children (L-R) Pax, Zahara and Maddox. Pic: AP
A family affair
Two of Jolie’s children, Maddox and Pax, took on production assistant roles during the filming of Maria and witnessed their mother perform opera for the first time in public.
She says the film allowed them to create new experiences together and for her children to see her approach to playing a difficult role.
“Everyone in my home, we all give each other space to be who we are and we’re all different.
“I’m the mom, but I’m also an artist and a person and so my family has been very kind and gives me their understanding. They make fun of me, and they support me and just as you’d hope it would be.”
She adds: “When you play somebody who is dealing with so much pain, it’s very important to come home to some kindness.”
Maria is in cinemas now.
Tom Holland’s dad has confirmed his son’s engagement to Zendaya – revealing how the 28-year-old meticulously planned the proposal.
Zendaya, also 28, sparked engagement rumours when she attended last Sunday’s Golden Globes wearing a sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.
He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.
“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.
Zendaya arrived at the Golden Globes with a noticeable piece of new jewellery. Pic: Invision/AP
Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.
Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.
In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.
He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”
“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”
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Zendaya rose to fame after landing a role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, and became a household name after starring in Euphoria.
Holland – who has starred in three Spider-Man films opposite his now-fiancée – made his stage debut in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008.
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