The first large-scale American museum exhibition to survey the colorful history of graffiti and street art movements internationally. Highlighting the connection between graffiti and street art and other vibrant subcultures, such as those that developed around Hip Hop in the Bronx and skateboarding in Southern California, Art in the Streets explores parallel movements in dance and music. The exhibition is curated by MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch, working with a curatorial advisory committee that includes Roger Gastman and Aaron Rose.
“The most comprehensive book to survey the colorful history of graffiti and street art movements internationally.”
Forty years ago, graffiti in New York evolved from elementary mark-making into an important art form. By the end of the 1980s, it had been documented in books and films that were seen around the world, sparking an international graffiti movement.
This original edition, considers the rise of New York graffiti and the international scenes it inspired–from Los Angeles to São Paulo to Paris to Tokyo–as well as earlier and parallel movements: the break dancing and rap music of hip-hop; the graffiti used by Chicano gangs to mark their territory; the skateboarding culture that began in Southern California. Expertly researched, beautifully illustrated, and featuring contributions by many of the most significant curators, writers, and artists involved in the graffiti world, this now classic volume is an in-depth examination of this seminal movement.
The first large-scale American museum exhibition to survey the colorful history of graffiti and street art movements internationally. Graffiti has been a form of public communication and identification since ancient times. In its contemporary manifestation, it has redefined the urban landscape and influenced generations of artists. This landmark exhibition traces the birth and dissemination of styles through "writers" and street artists around the world-including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Blu, Martha Cooper, Shepard Fairey, Stelios Faitakis, Futura, Phil Frost, Os Gemeos, Keith Haring, Todd James (REAS), Margaret Kilgallen, Lady Pink, Barry McGee (Twist), Steve Powers (ESPO), Lee Quinones, Retna, Kenny Scharf, Swoon, and Ed Templeton, among many others-focusing on New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, as well as international locations. Highlighting the connection between graffiti and street art and other vibrant subcultures, such as those that developed around Hip Hop in the Bronx and skateboarding in Southern California, Art in the Streets explores parallel movements in dance and music. A selection of new works created for the show is presented alongside the historical survey of approximately 30 of the most important artists seminal to the genre. The exhibition is curated by MoCA Director Jeffrey Deitch, working with a curatorial advisory committee that includes Charlie Ahearn, Roger Gastman, Carlo McCormick, and Aaron Rose.