"The man who made Banksy famous"

Actually I think that statement is pretty accurate. I mean it does appear it was his involvement that really kicked things off for Banksy, and even after their split it was largely Steve's continued promotion that kept the ball rolling.

What do you think?

I think if Steve Lazarides was still officially involved in brand Banksy I'm sure things would be much much better than they are now. Maybe that sounds like a crazy thing to say, but honestly I think he could have handled things much better over the years. Even with his hands tied by not being officially connected to Banksy, he has done an incredible amount to spread the Banksy name in the right circles in the art world.

I like Banksy installations ( Dismaland , Walledof hotel ) and artworks in the streets since he walks in his own ....
Ok Lazarides helped ( not so hard when you know the People famous or infamous with a big wallet ) , as some others have done with their artists ... and he made a lot of profits also
Funny that Invader also this year seems to have taken distance.
Just a question Daniel : do you make this ode to Steve Lazarides because a lot are criticizing him yesterday or today ?
To speak about famous, yes ( for us and a lot ) , Banksy and Invader are famous ... But less than some " People " that does not merit it anyway.
Look, in the Dismaland queue, people even some youths , a lot, did not know really who was Banksy ?! They did not know per example that he was, he is an artist...
incredible no ?

nice sepia morons cameo

Easy to villify such a public figure and as Daniel said, people wouldn't work with him unless he was good at what he does regardless of his extracurricular activities. People are so quick to pick up the flaming torches and pitchforks!

As a business model of people keep buying and he will keep selling them. He wouldn't do it if the market wasn't there

I like Steves honesty in interviews.
He happily talks about marketing the art, people investing in art and increasing values, while so many of the artists dishonesty pretend they are not interested in the money and increases in the value of their work. But really it's the Artists themselves who are the ones who can really control the market by deciding on edition sizes and prices.

I like him too, and he's much needed for the scene. Don't forget for every Banksy or Harrington he's supported dozens of other artists to varying degrees of success and without that support the urban art scene wouldn't be where it is today. He's also put on some fantastic shows over the years, which have massively raised the profile of so many artists. Would be great to see another Bedlam type show again.

True, but those Artists have signed those contracts.

"Is it for the better?"
Depends on better for who.
Lovers of art as a pure and simple image to enjoy are losing out due to small editions and high prices, but for collectors/investors, Galleries and Artists they are doing well with the current trends. I guess Banksy now is in control of if, what, when, how much, prints are released, and so far that's meant even higher values and prices.
i would have thought if Steve was in control he would be releasing maybe 3 Banksy print editions a year, and I would have thought that would mean lower print values overall.

What option do you thinks best?

1. Things as they are, with no Banksy prints being released and prices rising well beyond most people's pockets.

2. 3 Banksy prints released every year, editions of 1,000 priced at £1,000 each.

Should have called this thread 'The man who made Laz famous'

I never knew Alexi Sayle had something to do with Banksy. No doubt where Banksy got some of his humour from.