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Steve Lazarides, the former agent and close confidant of Banksy, amassed a photographic archive that now stands as the most comprehensive visual chronicle of one of the most elusive and era-defining artists of our time. From 1997 to 2008, Lazarides bore witness to Banksy’s evolution—from guerrilla street provocateur to global cultural phenomenon. His Banksy Captured series distils that relationship into a curated body of limited-edition prints, each offering collectors unparalleled access to moments of artistic genesis.
These iconic works are not merely desirable—they are pivotal artefacts of 21st-century urban counterculture, positioned at the intersection of photography, performance, and political commentary. The prints below are the most sought-after examples, each one telling a story of subversion, timing, and cultural resonance.
1. Balloon Flight
Set against the brickwork of East London, this arresting image immortalises Banksy’s Girl with Balloon—arguably his most iconic motif—juxtaposed with the graffiti slogan “Fight the fighters, not their wars.” The suited passerby grounds the piece in urban banality.
Purchase – Steve Lazarides – Balloon Fight / Flight Print Edition (Girl With Balloon)
Collector’s note: One of Banksy’s most popular images. A cornerstone in any Banksy or Lazarides collection.
2. How to Paint Graffiti and Get Away With It
A rare candid image of Banksy? obscuring his face behind WRJ Hudson’s cult graffiti manual! In the background, a rail bridge bears his balloon tag—a nod to both ego and anonymity.
Purchase – Steve Lazarides – How To Paint Graffiti And Get Away With It
Collector’s note: A metafictional moment captured with razor-sharp humour. This is Lazarides at his most reflexive—documenting an artist who lives to deflect.
3. Photo Op
The phrase “This is not a photo opportunity” is stencilled on stone along London’s South Bank, while the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben dominate the skyline across the Thames.
Purchase – Steve Lazarides – How To Paint Graffiti And Get Away With It
Collector’s note: This print embodies Banksy’s contempt for political stagecraft and performative tourism.
4. Unforgettable You
From the 2006 Barely Legal exhibition, this piece documents the controversial elephant installation. Tai, painted to match the wallpaper, stands as a haunting metaphor for willful ignorance in the face of global poverty.
Purchase – Steve Lazarides – Unforgettable Your (Banksy Elephant) Print
Collector’s note: Visually bold and ethically provocative, this remains one of the artist’s most radical installations—and Lazarides captured it at its most potent.
5. Streets of Rage
Banksy’s Pulp Fiction mural, where Travolta and Jackson brandish bananas instead of guns, was painted near Old Street station in 2002. It was removed in 2007, sparking fan outrage, banksy to return and a street tribute.
Purchase – Steve Lazarides – Streets of Rage (Banksy’s Pulp Fiction) Print
Collector’s note: Satire meets filmic iconography in this high-demand fun work.
6. St. Werburgh
Banksy? stands behind a wooden plank sprayed with graffiti, his face concealed. Captured in a moment of candid stillness, this photo speaks to the quiet code of the anonymous street artist.
Purchase – Steve Lazarides – St. Werburgh -Framed
Collector’s note: It is intimate, loaded with lore, and profoundly still.
7. Ape Rule (Laugh Now)
First seen in 2003, the monkey bearing the placard “Laugh now, but one day we’ll be in charge” became one of Banksy’s most enduring social critiques. Lazarides shot it in its London street location.
Purchase – Steve Lazarides – Ape Rule (Banksy’s Laugh Now) Print
Collector’s note: The monkey, both tragic and defiant, remains a favourite with Banksy
8. Inebriated Wisdom
Banksy’s parody of Rodin’s Thinker—renamed The Drinker—is photographed here with a traffic cone perched jauntily on its head. The work nods to Glasgow’s cone-topped Wellington statue.
Purchase – Steve Lazarides – Inebriated Wisdom (Banksy’s The Drinker) Print
Collector’s note: A gleeful insult to institutional art, captured with sculptural reverence.
Together, these limited-edition prints form a collection of rare cultural capital—works that chronicle the rise of an anonymous provocateur and the photographer who followed every step of the revolution with instinct, access, and artistic intent.
Find all prints by Steve Lazarides via our online store at GraffitiStreet here.