The 25 Most Important Artists Of 2011

With Art In The Streets, Jeffery Deitch opened his reign at Los Angeles' Museum of Contemporary Art with a bang. The exhibition, drawing historic material and fresh installations from the world's most renowned graffiti artists, certainly set a tone. In 2011, street art was impossible to ignore.

Museum's across the Nation followed Deitch's plan, and artist's like Swoon and KAWS became regular names on institutional planning lists.

2011 also saw the artist as social activist rise again, most notably in the figures of Ai Weiwei and JR.

The artists that held our attention in 2011 were those that stayed busy. They wowed us with gallery exhibitions and museum installations. They kept our eyes through savvy commercial work and even produced some of the best album covers of the year. In all, picking just 25 people is a daunting task, but make one thing clear, these were the people we talked about the most.

The 25 Most Important Artists of 2011.

O'Brien may be known by still very few, but his work gradually gained more international exposure in 2011. The Irish photographer brought his Good Rats series - a powerful set of images documenting a group of proper punks - to New York's No. 10 Gallery from September 13 through October 12. He's already won an ICI Photographer of the Year award, and our best bet is that this young artist will be on the rise through 2012.

Josh Keyes manages to have relatively quiet years and still impress. There's good enough reason, not the least being the time it takes him to complete a canvas. Keyes' latest showing at Jonathan LeVine dazzled, proving his old tricks still tick, and prints still sell out in a flash.

Actor James Franco produces some out-the-box art projects (check out this interview in the Believer). This year, he recreated behind-the-scenes stories from classic James Dean films. It created a stir at the Venice Biennale. We're intrigued. Though, admittedly, we're not always sure why.

Long Walk Home, De La Cruz's solo exhibition at Honolulu's Loft In Space, solidified the artist's position in our hearts. His intoxicating blend of design, graffiti, and illustration wins… and even managed to make a Prius look super cool in 2011.

Erik Parker moved forward from his showing as a Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth "FOCUS" artist in 2010, exhibited at Paris' coolest shop, colette, and co-curated the Pretty On The Inside exhibition with friend KAWS at Paul Kasmin Gallery over the summer. The release of some dope Original Fake shirts also helped open Parker up to new audiences.

Yes, the JR buzz has certainly died down since the artist's whirlwind 2011. Still, the 2011 TED Prize recipient was busy. Notably, he took a coveted month on the Houston and Bowery Mural Wall in NYC, as well as promoting photo based public art through his own "Photo Booth" installation at Paris' Centre Georges Pompidou. Allowing visitors to create their own art and mimic his own trademark style, JR encouraged the power of art as a vehicle for social change.

Cope2's biggest achievement of 2011 was inclusion in The (S) Files, the sixth biennial exhibition at El Museo del Barrio in New York City. He also tore it up with murals in Miami this December. Who would have imagined a collaborative effort with Buff Monster? Not us. But, it got us talking and kept the Bronx-born legend on our mind.

It is possible you've never heard of Gregory Euclide. However, it is near impossible to believe you didn't catch the cover of Bon Iver's Calgary. The artist also held a solo exhibition at Denver's David B. Smith and is currently part of groups shows at the Toledo Museum of Art and Hunterdon Art Museum.

Phlegm is a rather mysterious artist from Sheffield, England. Trained in comics, the narrative structure of Phlegm's murals has a constant dark humor. In 2011, Phlegm was everywhere painting all the major street art festivals and turning Sheffield into a personal playground. Additionally, Phlegm released a charming little alphabet book… a must have for street art collectors.

Thanks to Swizz Beatz, Basquiat's back. Argue all you will about the appropriateness of dead artists landing on a list like this, but thanks to the Reebok push, Basquiat's star has risen higher and caught the eye of a whole new generation of art lovers.

Australian-born Kid Zoom is slowly becoming a house hold name. Participating in Young & Free, Zoom proved his position among his contemporaries Down Under. However, when he returned to Australia for his HOME exhibition, a full-scale replica of his childhood home showed his ambition. Complete with graffiti and explosions, the installation inspired awe and reflected the importance of Mr. Strange's suburban upbringing.

Olek's yarn bombing continues to thrill us in 2011. Her solo exhibition at Jonathan LeVine was amazing. And, just when we thought that making a sweater for the Wall Street Bull was the biggest she could go, Olek got busy at Cooper Hewitt (Astor Place). She's the leader of street fiber arts, no doubt.

In 2011, TWIST killed at MoCA's Art In The Streets, held a solo show in London, and continued to solidify his reputation as one of the most dynamic street turned fine artists around.

Something you might have forgotten about RETNA, for the Street Cred show at Pasadena Museum of Art he covered the buildings entire facade. Baller. He also made his NYC debut, making the Big Apple stop one on his Hallelujah World Tour. The Seventh Letter Artist also released some awesome product too. RETNA's star will continue to rise (he was on this list last year, and will likely only get bigger in 2012).

For his retrospective, All, at the Guggenhiem, Cattelan produced the most bizarre and amazing installation we've ever seen. It hangs deftly through the museum's famed Rotunda, some 128 objects, and generates lines around the block.

Check it before closure on January 22, 2012.

We love Patrick Martinez. His work takes on social concerns with a distinct voice, blending paint and neon signage to produce brilliant material. Martinez just opened his latest solo exhibition, REEL TAWLK, at Loft In Space, which solidifies his widespread appeal. And, his "Less Drake, More Tupac" piece was bought by hip-hop's favorite sweater wearer himself.

For more on Martinez, check our portfolio review.

Triumph & Tragedy, REVOK's debut showing in Germany, opened at Vicious Gallery on December 3, 2011. For the show, the LA-based artist employed materials found while exploring old factories in Detroit. The results are stunning, and prove his ability to translate his "WOW" inducing murals to smaller scale gallery work. We could say a lot more about REVOK, but honestly we don't have to, his importance to 2011's art scene is undeniable.

Swoon took street art to museum's in a way that trumped even those that shared space with her in Art In The Streets this year. We were wowed by her larger-than-life installation at the New Orleans Museum of Art and her exhibition at the ICA Boston. She finished the year strong too, opening her first solo exhibition in London at Black Rat Projects this month.

ESPO always makes us laugh. In 2011, Powers' Love Letters series came to his adopted home of Brooklyn, participated in a summer group show at Joshua Liner, and released a whole bunch of fun product (including cozies with our friends at The World's Best Ever). All that is pretty awesome… but, fails to acknowledge Powers' amazing contribution to the groundbreaking Art In The Streets exhibition where he partnered with Todd James (REAS) on an astounding instillation of trademark signage.

Many people wish Banksy would disappear. And, sometimes it seems he has. However, well timed work in Liverpool and London to end the year got the Internet buzzing. Plus, he debuted two sculptures, Cardinal Sin and Fallen Soldier, both proving Banksy's satirical wit has potential off the streets.

For those that need a primer, the excellent BANKSY: Myths & Legends is well worth modest price.

Fosik impressed with his solo showings NYC's Jonathan LeVine Gallery in October of 2011. His layered sculptures, taking the form of wild beasts that draw from a number of primal themes, are among the coolest art works we caught this year. Additionally, Fosik provided the cover art for Mastodon's The Hunter.

The legend of Ron English seems to grow by the year. In 2011, he seemed to have an exhibition every month (not limited to an exhibition at Post No Bills and a major solo showing at Corey Helford Gallery this fall). English's graffiti trip to Detroit also garnered attention, and out west he produced one of the world's largest murals for LA Freewalls. In short, Ron English continues to amuse and continues to permeate all facets of the art world. Toy releases and a collaboration with The Hundreds kept him in tune with the youth too.

We visited English at his Beacon, NY home too. Check that out here.

Hirst never falls too far out the news. The TATE recently announced a career retrospective, meaning Hirst will represent England's art scene in a major way during the London Olympics of 2012.

Hirst is also preparing to show all of his spot paintings in a global exhibition, The Complete Spot Paintings 1986-2011, with Gagosian Galleries (installing at each of the power broker's eleven global locations). Who else can pull off something so outrageous?

What can you say about KAWS? Few artists balance commercial and personal work so smoothly. In 2011 KAWS co-curated a show with friend Erik Parker. He also designed a limited bottle for Hennessy. And, most importantly, announced that 2012 would essentially be the year of KAWS in American museums. His solo showing at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta opens in February.

Since he never rests on his laurels, KAWS is showing as a FOCUS artist at the Modern Museum of Art in Fort Worth, TX right now. We don't even have to mention gallery exhibitions at the likes of Honor Fraser, you should have already gotten the point. KAWS is more important than ever.

In 2011, Ai Weiwei made news for his detention by the Chinese government. But, that's not all. The prolific artist toured his Zodiac Heads around the world, mounted a major exhibition in Taiwan (Absence Itself Is the Current Status of My Art), and his early NYC photographs took center stage at the Asia Society. Not too shabby. Add this important fact, Ai Weiwei is now considered the most powerful figure in the art world, and you'll no doubt recognize why he's claimed the top spot on this list.

Need to know more? Check out 5 Things You Need To Know About Ai Weiwei.