25 Things You Didn't Know About the Histories of Street Art and Graffiti

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Complex Original

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Everyone in street art and graffiti seems to have their own very personal interpretation of history. Just think back to the controversy surrounding Freedom’s recent list of The 50 Greatest NYC Graffiti Artists. I’ve always been fascinated with the little stories that don’t fit the dominant narrative, and with all of those unique spins on history out there, street art and graffiti have a lot of great stories and factoids that haven’t quite made the front page, even if they are about some of the scene’s top artists. That’s why I’ve decided to share a few of my favorite lesser-known anecdotes in this list of 25 Things You Didn't Know About the History of Street Art.

25 Things You Didn't Know About the History of Street Art

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Street art and graffiti seem to have a strange attraction to sets of identical artist twins.

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Although Cans Festival was a Banksy project, he wasn't working alone.

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While these days you may come across bootleg merchandise based off of work by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Cost or Revs in street markets, that used to be where you could find their original work.

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David Choe is a talented artist whose work commands high prices, and he was fortunate to get shares of Facebook stock in the very early days of the company.

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Banksy isn't the only artist whose art has been given the OK from local governments to remain up after its illegal installation.

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Charlie Ahearn met Lee Quinones two years before he began working with Lee and Fab 5 Freddy on Wild Style, but they had not stayed in touch and Charlie had no way to contact Lee.

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In the late '70s and early '80s, art and fashion writer Glenn O'Brien hosted a public access television show in New York City called TV Party.

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In the late '70s and early '80s, art and fashion writer Glenn O’Brien hosted a public access television show in New York City called TV Party.

In addition to cutting edge musical guest, David Byrne, a few of the early greats from street art and graffiti also guested. Those artists include Jean-Michel Basquiat, John Fekner, Futura, ALI, and Fab Five Freddy. In fact, Fab 5 Freddy was a cameraman for TV Party.

The Underbelly Project brought about 100 artists into an abandoned shell of a subway underneath New York City.

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Keith Haring was inspired by Angel Ortiz aka LA II, a graffiti writer nearly 10 years younger than Haring.

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It's been suggested that the term "street art" is a very modern invention.

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One key point that got left out of Exit Through The Gift Shop helps to explain just why all these street artists were hanging around Thierry Guetta in the first place.

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When Shepard Fairey first started putting up posters, he used Elmer's glue mixed with water instead of wheatpaste, and he wasn't applying them to walls very well.

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The Bowery and Houston wall in New York City and the Wynwood Walls in Miami are owned by the same company.

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Swoon was originally mistaken to be a man.

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Back before every artist had a website and an Instagram account, it took time and lucky breaks for people to find out about new artists outside of their immediate vicinity.

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Back before every artist had a website and an Instagram account, it took time and lucky breaks for people to find out about new artists outside of their immediate vicinity.

In 1998, the international graffiti community was introduced to Os Gemeos thanks to a cover article in 12ozProphet. It was their first bit of press outside of South America. The editors of 12ozProphet had heard about Os Gemeos through Barry McGee, another 12ozProphet cover artists, who had met them back in 1993 when he was visiting Brazil, so the editors visited Sao Paulo in 1997 and the twins showed them around the city. Without a Barry McGee connection and a 12ozProphet cover article, who knows when Os Gemeos’ talents would have been recognized outside of Brazil?

Revs is known primarily as a reclusive graffiti legend and forefather of modern street art, but in 1993 he also put out a record of his own punk music.

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Revs is known primarily as a reclusive graffiti legend and a forefather of modern street art, but in 1993, he also put out a record of his own punk music.

Just Stay Away was self-released and of course featured album art by Cost and Revs.

Banksy's 2006 solo show in Los Angeles, "Barely Legal," was not his first.

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Shepard Fairey didn't even know that his own work was in a show at the legendary Alleged Gallery.

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Jenny Holzer got her start on the street.

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Jean-Michel Basquiat starred in Downtown 81, a film loosely based on his own life living in downtown Manhattan pre-fame and fortune, but the film was not released until 2000.

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John Fekner and David Wojnarowicz were in New York City and using stencils for their street art in the late 1970's.

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Just because Blek le Rat wasn’t first doesn’t mean he isn’t a godfather.

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