Steve Lazarides is the ringmaster behind the rise of graffiti or street artists from Banksy on down. He rode the rise of the category to a brand new five-story gallery in London where the Times did a profile of him recently:
Then, in 2006, Banksy and “street art” suddenly became unignorable, even to the institutions that had dumped his work in lost property. After a series of trademark stunts to announce its arrival, Barely Legal, Banksy’s LA pop-up show in a Skid Row warehouse, opened in September. As well as making headlines around the world it also made millions: Lazarides sold almost all 50 or so works to clients including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (they bought three) and Christina Aguilera (she bought two) for a total of about $3 million. I remember watching him working the clients: I don’t think he slept for two days.
Shepard Fairey was an unheralded skateboarding-scene street artist from San Francisco at the time — he had yet to design the Barack Obama Hope portrait — and he made this observation: “If you wait for the museums, the moment will pass you by. Case in point: Banksy’s show got 50,000 visitors in three days. Rauschenberg’s got 80,000 in three months. Now the art world is freaking out.” […]
Then, in 2006, Banksy and “street art” suddenly became unignorable, even to the institutions that had dumped his work in lost property. After a series of trademark stunts to announce its arrival, Barely Legal, Banksy’s LA pop-up show in a Skid Row warehouse, opened in September. As well as making headlines around the world it also made millions: Lazarides sold almost all 50 or so works to clients including Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (they bought three) and Christina Aguilera (she bought two) for a total of about $3 million. I remember watching him working the clients: I don’t think he slept for two days.
Shepard Fairey was an unheralded skateboarding-scene street artist from San Francisco at the time — he had yet to design the Barack Obama Hope portrait — and he made this observation: “If you wait for the museums, the moment will pass you by. Case in point: Banksy’s show got 50,000 visitors in three days. Rauschenberg’s got 80,000 in three months. Now the art world is freaking out.”
Steve Lazarides: Graffiti’s Über-Dealer (Times of London)
