Burner phones and erotic art go under the hammer in Banksy sale

Steve Lazarides started out in the art world as Banksy’s driver, photographer and, later, dealer. So, he is probably one of the select few who knows the true identity of the elusive yet publicity-seeking street artist. In an unexpected move, Lazarides has decided to sell off his Banksy archive at Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles, consigning more than 150 of Banksy’s early works and a trove of notes handwritten by the world’s most secretive artist (the auction is live and online 31 October). The most clandestine items consigned are 15 mobile “burner” phones, used by Lazarides to covertly contact Banksy when necessary. (The brands include Motorola, Sony and Nokia with an estimate of, ahem, $20,000-$40,000.) Committed Banksy fans may also bid for, wait for it, a series of erotic art concept sketches executed on the back of a flyer for a dominatrix, to which the artist added his own scribbles ($10,000-$20,000).