Former Agent of Banksy to Release Book With Never-Before-Seen Images
The world is now one step closer to finding out who Banksy is. The artist’s former agent, Steve Lazarides, plans to release a new book that features the mysterious unnamed artist at work. He’s already previewed some of the said photos, which confirm that Banksy might, indeed, be a man. Or, possibly a group of artists, of which one member is a man.
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“I’m in the final design stage of my Banksy Captured book. Expect more unseen images like this @banksy portrait shot in Bristol. For those who missed the information. There will be an initial print run of 5000 individually numbered books.” Lazarides announced on Instagram last September. “The first 50 books purchased will come with a Banksy Di-Faced tenner ( they are worth around £500) then somewhere within the edition will be a ticket that wins an unsigned Banksy Bomb Middle England screen print. The book is being self-published and self-distributed and will only be available at www.banksycaptured.com.To be notified of the release date sign up to the mailing list on the website.”
“We broke every rule in the rule book, along with a fair few laws. I hate the art world. I only became part of it because Banksy catapulted the movement into the stratosphere. It was a ride – however, I’m glad I’m out of it and about to enter the next ride.” admitted Lazarides. It was he who took photos of the enigmatic artist. Additionally, the website for the book explains what to expect in the book “These never-before-seen images, shot by Lazarides, document the fascinating and anarchic journey behind the scenes of the mysterious man who has become one of the world’s most renowned artists.”. 
Since then, Lazarides has released some preview images from the book. One, in particular, seems to feature the artist (or one of the artists) in the middle of creating the artwork. It shows a man—caucasian, brown-haired, medium-built, and relatively tall—putting up a stencil of what looks part of a Banksy artwork. Surprisingly, the figure is working on the street in broad daylight and wasn’t even wearing a mask. Despite his notorious anonymity, the artist in question doesn’t seem to care if he’s spotted in the midst of creating a Banksy artwork. Though there doesn’t seem to be any people around aside from the photographer who snapped the picture.
Another image shows the artist, though unclear if it’s the same person as the one in the first image, bending down in front of a Banksy street art. The piece in question is the artist’s iconic “Laugh Now” painting, which depicts a chimpanzee wearing a sign that says “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge,”. The image has since become one of Banksy’s most famous works, repainted in various mediums. But in the image, the subject just finished off the artwork on a wall, a frequent medium of choice for the mysterious artist. 
For now, Lazarides has yet to reveal when exactly he plans to release the book for public purchase. Stay tuned on this space for more updates!
Image Credits:
- Banksy Featured Image – Independent.co.uk
- Artist Banksy – Unilad.co.uk
- Artwork by Banksy – SortiraParis.com