The 50 Greatest Street Artists Right Now

Image via Complex Original

Shepard Fairey

Base Country: U.S.A.

While Shepard Fairey is not putting up a lot of new work these days, he still probably has more work running around the world than most street artists will ever put up, and he is one of the most significant influences on the younger generation of street artists who are just starting out.

Website

Photos courtesy of OBEY Clothing.

OX

Base Country: France

OX, with his abstract billboard takeovers, is at the forefront of the recent renewed popularity in ad disruptions by street artists.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Stikman

Base Country: U.S.A.

Stikman recently celebrated 20 years of putting his characters on the street. While they may seem simple, he knows how to change things up in fun ways and has a great eye for placement.

Photo 1 by Alykat; photo 2 by C-Monster; photo 3 by Kaitlin Marie, photo 4 by Lord Jim; photo 5 and 6 by Vandalog.

Reka

Base Country: Australia

The highlight of Everfresh Studios, Reka has been brightening up walls in Australia for a decade. He's about to move to Europe to do the same there.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Ludo

Base Country: France

Ludo uses a lot of photo-manipulation to make his posters, but he pulls it off without coming across as corny or lazy, which is often rare.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Sam3

Base Country: Spain

Sam3's work can be serious, whimsical, political, and romantic either alternately or all-at-once. Whether creating quick interventions or huge murals, he always maintains one thing: quality.

Website

Photos by the artist.

C215

Base Country: France

C215 is the contemporary torchbearer for the French stencil scene that Blek le Rat sparked in the 1980s.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Herakut

Base Country: Germany

While most street art duos have similar styles, Hera and Akut’s collaboration as Herakut continues to show how two very different styles of painting can complement one another to become greater than the sum of their parts.

Website

Photos by Ian Cox.

Stinkfish

Base Country: Columbia

One of South America’s most talented and prolific street artists, Stinkfish really lives up to the street art ideal of making art for the people.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Claudio Ethos

Base Country: Brazil

Ethos is an artist with consistent, quality work that is difficult to match. One wall after another, his characters are unique, eye-catching, and well-painted.

Website

Photos by the artist.

D*Face

Base Country: U.K.

If you have some technical ability and a bit of brand recognition like D*Face, it can be easy to be a lazy pop artist, but D*Face isn’t a lazy pop artist. He typically adds a little more into his work and manages to keep things surprising, even when he is repeating himself.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Zilda

Base Country: Italy

Zilda’s wheatpastes achieve what Blek le Rat attempted to do years ago with his stencils based on famous artworks. The posters inspire everyday people to appreciate classically-styled art without the ticket price or discomfort of visiting a museum.

Website

Photos by the artist.

La Pandilla

Base Country: Puerto Rico

This Puerto Rican duo’s murals are intricate and strange in the most beautiful way.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Mark Jenkins

Base Country: U.S.A.

The day one is bored with Mark Jenkins’ sculptures is the day one is bored with life.

Website

Photos by the artist.

DAL

Base Country: South Africa

Thanks to some help from his partner Faith47, Dal has quickly gained the attention of the international street art community and made a strong impression with his unique creatures.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Sweet Toof and Paul Insect

Base Country: U.K.

Working together or separately, Sweet Toof and Paul Insect have quirky and cartoon-inspired street art locked down.

Websites: Paul Insect / Sweet Toof

Photos by Alex Ellison.

Faith47

Base Country: South Africa

Faith47, like many of the best top young street artists, is bringing muralism away from the stereotypical community murals and into the 21st century.

Website

Photos by the artist.

LNY

Base Country: U.S.A.

Even though he did not paint a mural for Open Walls Baltimore, LNY’s illicit contributions to the streets of Baltimore became an unofficial highlight of the festival.

Website

Photos 1-5 by the artist; photos 6-8 by RJ Rushmore.

Saner

Base Country: Mexico

When other street artists look to South America for talented young street artists, they look to Saner. Just this spring, Saner collaborated with both AEC and Aryz. Saner’s murals bring Mexican folklore to life without losing touch with contemporary culture.

Photos by the artist.

Website

Ever

Base Country: Argentina

Ever’s portraits are really two portraits in one. First, there’s the face of a person, but then Ever adds in semi-abstract shapes to represent his subject’s soul.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Specter

Base Country: U.S.A.

Specter does not put out new work every week, but when he does install a mural, the wait is always worth it. Specter’s recent trompe l'oeil pieces on gentrification have been the most effective acknowledgements of gentrification by a street artist this year.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Bast

Base Country: U.S.A.

Bast has been a staple of New York City’s streets for years. He still gets up with fresh work — a friendly reminder to the Johnny-Come-Latelys of Williamsburg that no, they are not badass street artists because one sticker they put up is in the background of a photo by Luna Park.

Website

Photos 1 and 3 by Sabeth718; Photo 2 by Wallya.

Isaac Cordal

Base Country: U.K.

Much of the best sculptural street art being made right now is by Isaac Cordal. His interventions aren’t gigantic, but they are a thrill to stumble upon in person and haunting to see in photographs.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Swoon

Base Country: U.S.A.

Many street artists try to connect with the public through their work, but few are as successful as Swoon. When a much-loved old poster by Swoon was buffed from a wall in San Francisco's Mission District, some fans got in touch with Swoon, and she arranged to have a new poster sent over and installed (legally this time).

Photos 1 and 2 by Jim Lord; photo 3 by Mkorcuska; photo 4 and 5 by Orin Zebest; photo 6 by Urbanina.

Pixel Pancho

Base Country: Italy

Pixel Pancho has really stepped up his game, and the fanbase for his steampunk-inspired characters is growing quickly. The legendary Martha Cooper even helped him find walls to paint during his stay in Baltimore.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Dabs and Myla

Base Country: U.S.A.

This Australian couple seem to live in their own world, but they have invited an audience in, one mural at a time.

Website

Photos by the artists.

Phlegm

Base Country: U.K.

Phlegm’s characters interact perfectly with the city walls like they're the real inhabitants and we’re just visitors.

Website

Photos by the artist.

How and Nosm

Base Country: U.S.A.

If it’s possible, How and Nosm have whimsy down to a science, and it’s working well for them. When they go to Philadelphia in July, they will be the first street artists to paint a mural for Philadelphia’s prestigious Mural Arts Program since Kenny Scharf’s last July.

Website

Photo 1 by the artists; photo 2-4 by Birdman; photo 5 by the artists; photo 6 by Lord Jim; photo 7 by Wallya.

Troy Lovegates a.k.a. Other

Base Country: Canada

Although they may seem odd at first, Other’s wild drawings are a favorite among many street art bloggers and documentarians.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Conor Harrington

Base Country: U.K.

Few street artists have managed to marry fine art with the urban landscape as well as Conor Harrington, and this year he seems to be more prolific than ever before.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Anthony Lister

Base Country: Australia

There are a lot of street artists who know how to use a spray can. Anthony Lister knows how to paint, he just happens to use a spray can to do it sometimes.

Website

Photos 1-3 by Birdman; Photos 4-6 by JAM Project; Photos by 7-8 by Lucky Cat; Photo 9 by RJ Rushmore.

Escif

Base Country: Spain

If you’re looking to prove to your friends that street art is more than just mildly political stencils and pretty pictures of animals, look no further than Escif. He’s the thinking man’s street artist, but that doesn’t mean the work is boring out of being unobvious.

Website

Photos by artist.

Roa

Base Country: Belgium

Rarely are Roa’s animals just plopped onto a wall without thought. The choice of animals and the placement is considered and unique for each location. It’s hard to appreciate his murals without gaining an appreciation for the spaces in which they are painted.

Website

Photos by the artist.

mobstr

Base Country: U.K.

mobstr’s one-liners always hit their mark, whether that mark is the government or the street art establishment.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Nychos

Base Country: Austria

Nychos’ series of dissected characters combines skill with the same cartoonish, gross factor that makes things like the Garbage Pail Kids so fantastic.

Website

Photos by the artist.

El Mac

Base Country: U.S.A.

El Mac, with his distinctive yet classic style, is responsible for some of the most stunning portraits being painted today in spraypaint.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Retna

Base Country: U.S.A.

When Retna painted his mural at the Bowery and Houston wall in New York City last March, there were nearly 100 photos of Retna or the wall posted to Flickr before he was finished. There’s no doubt that Retna is a crowd favorite, but his talent and decorated history have earned him a lot of respect from the graffiti and street art communities, too.

Website

Photo 1 by Eric Whittman; All other photos by Lord Jim.

Know Hope

Base Country: Israel

Know Hope’s street art is not always the loudest or the largest, so it doesn't always grab one's attention in passing. However, if you take the time to look closely, it will tug at your heartstrings.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Vhils

Base Country: U.K.

Vhils’ style of carving portraits into walls is still captivating, even four years after Vhils stole the show with it at Banksy’s Cans Festival.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Blu

Base Country: Italy

If street art were solely about politically-charged imagery, Blu would take the take. Few, if any, significant street artists active today can match his guts or his ability to make poignant political statements.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Aryz

Base Country: Spain

Artists like Blu certainly certainly paved his way, but now Aryz seems to be the unmatched king of showing what can be done with a paint roller.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Interesni Kazki

Base Country: Ukraine

AEC and WAONE make up Interesni Kazki, Ukraine’s top street artists. Their surreal fairy tales have brightened up walls from Mexico to Poland, and that’s just since June.

Website

Photos by the artists.

David Choe

Base Country: U.S.A.

After The New York Times revealed that David Choe is worth millions (from painting a mural at Facebook’s offices in 2005 in exchange for stock), Choe became a household name. He’s since momentarily left the public eye, but before doing that, he helped Barbara Walters try to catch a tag on national television. Thankfully, the national attention went to a talented artist whose work really does deserve it.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Sever

Base Country: U.S.A.

There’s no doubt that Sever is a fantastic graffiti writer, but he’s also made some work that definitely qualifies as street art. Earlier this year, photos of his Death of Street Art mural in Detroit spread around the street art and graffiti worlds like wildfire. Love it or hate it, everyone was talking about it and it has helped to define this year in street art.

Photos by Joshua McNair.

Lush

Base Country: Australia

Have you ever thought to yourself, "This street art and graffiti stuff is just ridiculous. I don’t understand why are people paying $20 to take tours of Bushwick, just to look at the crummy paste-ups that I see every day on my way to work!" If so, Lush is the artist for you. Lush takes all the worst things about street art and graffiti, pokes fun and them, and then uses those same things he is making fun of to get more reblogs on tumblr.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Os Gemeos

Base Country: Brazil

Despite having been quiet on the outdoor front for most of this year, the twins got a well-deserved show at ICA Boston. The show promises both outdoor and indoor components, so Boston residents should expect a new Os Gemeos mural or two around August.

Website

Photos by the artist.

JR

Base Country: France

Between collaborations with Jose Parla in Cuba, where Parla painted on walls where JR had wheatpasted, plus his continuing Inside Out Project, JR keeps killing it.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Banksy

Base Country: U.K.

Not everything Banksy does can live up to the hype surrounding him, but when he gets it right, Banksy’s work is still brilliant. He gets it right a lot more often than most artists.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Jaz

Base Country: Argentina

Jaz’s murals of animals and wrestling men are some of the most compelling images being made on the street today, even though he often paints using materials as simple as tar and dirt.

Website

Photos by the artist.

Gaia

Base Country: U.S.A.

Gaia makes the top spot on this list, because in addition to his artwork (which ranges from paste-ups to freehand murals and roller pieces), he also found time to organize the mural festival, Open Walls Baltimore. The festival resulted in over a dozen new murals in the city.

Website

Photos by the artist.