After 25 years of lovingly keeping the large collection, he was ready to let go of this part of his life that put Lazarides on the map. Through saying goodbye to the memorabilia, he was emotionally ready to move on to his next chapter, fulfilling his truest passion, photography. Although throughout his career he has worked as a curator, bringing other unknown street artists to the forefront of the art scene (ultimately one of the reasons for the end of his and Banksy’s work relationship in 2008), it was time for Lazarides to focus on himself.
More than 170 artworks and random Banksy-owned items sold at Julien’s in California. A pair of special edition, worn size 9 Puma trainers (possibly revealing something of the anonymous artist's identity) were sold alongside a print of the renowned Girl with Balloon for $80,000, which Lazarides feels has attracted the wrong type of global attention, claiming it is a negative image of a girl losing her heart; “there is no happiness in that.”
The auction also included 15 burner phones that the pair used, becoming a sort of spy game between them, with stuff still possibly on the phones. More than 40 prints were auctioned including, Love is in the Air, a hand-cut stencil of Drill Rat, and a painting of Hooded Figure which sold for $78,000, nearly doubling its estimate. Lazarides has kept some items of significance, such as angry notes Banksy used to stick on his computer, but the rest he says isn't needed to “prove I worked with Banksy. It’s done.”
