Banksy’s former manager reveals central London building hiding his ‘unseen’ artwork | News UK

A girl holding a balloon, the House of Commons filled with chimpanzees and two police officers kissing.

Banky’s artworks are famous and adored across the world.

But now his former manager and ‘right-hand man’ has revealed the street artist’s pieces which the public know nothing about – including one in the heart of London.

Steve Lazarides, who was Banksy’s manager from 1997 to 2008, told Metro about an unknown treasure trove of graffiti in the Swiss Embassy.

Asked whether there is a Banksy that no one has ever seen, Lazarides said: ‘Yes, the Swiss Embassy car park.

‘The old Swiss ambassador put on a rave in the car park. He invited Banksyand [graffiti artist] Chu. And they smashed it.’

The party was held in 2001 by ambassador Bruno Spinner as part of a bid to shake-up their image.

According to Lazarides, the car park – which is between Regent’s Park and Hyde Park – houses ’10 to 15′ separate Banksy artworks.

These includes pictures of Lenin, the Mona Lisa, and monkeys.

‘It was all a bit mad,’ Lazarides said of the little-known event.

That is not the only work by the Bristol artist which has gone unnoticed, with a show in the same year turning out to be a complete flop.

Lazarides told Metro: ‘We did an exhibition in Glasgow and nobody turned up.

‘It show his graffiti and it got badly promoted.’

The display at The Arches, which showcased his art alongside artist Jamie Reid, was called ‘Peace Is Tough’.

Furious at the no shows, Banksy had a daring response in mind.

Lazarides explained: ‘He went out the next day and he punished Glasgow.’

The graffitist and left drawings ‘everywhere’ across the city.

According to an unofficial website chronically Banksy, the exhibition featured images of monkeys firing pistols, a monkey imitating the Queen and more Mona Lisas.

Lazarides spoke to Metro as he unveiled his collection of photographs and artwork, many from their time together, to collectors at an event hosted by the Grove Gallery.

The pair, who are both from Bristol, met in the 1990s when Banksy was doing a feature for the magazine Sleazenation.

Photographer Lazarides then took Banksy’s portrait and a few weeks later got the call to photograph another piece by the now famous graffitist.

The pair then worked together for a decade as Banksy’s fame skyrocketed, with Lazarides snapping everything he did.

The photographer has also told Metro about the moment Banksy was seconds away from being arrested and exposed by police, while spraying the word ‘boring’ onto the side of the National Theatre on the South Bank.

Banky’s art now sells for millions, but Lazarides said some of his stunts have also faded into oblivion.

An example of this is actually one of his most audacious spectacles yet.

In 2004, Banksy secretly planted a 20-foot statue in the middle of Clerkenwell Green in central London.

The statue depicted the figure of justice as a prostitute with leather boots and a thong

The work, called ‘Our Lady of Justice’ had a plinth which read: ‘Trust no-one’.

The photographer said despite the success of the event, it faded out of public memory.

He explained: ‘It was well attended, there were thousands of people.

‘But then it just went away. No one ever really talks about it. It never caught people’s imagination.

‘But I thought it was one of his best things.’

How does Banksy make money?

The secretive artist has called commercial success ‘a mark of failure’ and encouraged people not to buy his work.

But with an estimated net worth of more than £15 million, according to MailOnline, Banksy must make his bucks somehow.

And it’s not from selling his most famous artworks found on outside walls.

When those are up for auction, it’s usually landlords and art dealers who take the profits.

The artist’s piece Love is in the Bin – which consists of his painting Girl with Balloon partially shredded – sold for £18.5 million at auction in 2021.

Banksy instead makes money from selling prints of his iconic pieces, rather than the originals themselves.

These range from unsigned, unnumbered pieces costing £400 to £800, to £40,000 or even £130,000 limited runs, according to Bristol-based artdealer Huw Lougher, industry publication Artspace reported.

Celebrities like Christine Aguilera, Kate Moss and Bono have bought Banksypieces over the years.

Just five years later, Jolie spent another £200,000 on a Banksy piece at his exhibition in Los Angeles, the Evening Standard reported.

Such exhibitions, which have taken place from LA to London, are another key source of Banksy’s income.

Huge crowds flocked to his hometown for the Banksy v Bristol Museum show in 2009.

Banksy’s most recent artwork got far more attention.

It featured a mural of a lighthouse shining with the words, ‘I want to be what you saw in me’ printed on it.

Last summer, London went wild when Banksy unveiled nine animal-inspired works across the capital.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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