Image via Complex Original
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.
Street art and graffiti seem to have a strange attraction to sets of identical artist twins.
Os Gemeos, How and Nosm, and Skewville are all identical twins who paint together and share responsibilities so seamlessly that it can be difficult to know who has made what when looking at their finished work.
first image via (Photographed by: Rob React)
second image via (Photographed by: urban_data)
third image (Photographed by: RJ Rushmore)
Although Cans Festival was a Banksy project, he wasn't working alone.
Although Cans Festival was a Banksy project, he wasn't working alone.
The festival, which included many of the world's top stencil artists, plus Mr. Brainwash, was curated by Banksy and Tristan Manco, author of many art books including Stencil Graffiti and Street Sketchbook.
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.
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.
Basquiat began selling collages on postcards around the streets of New York City, Banksy sold his work from outside of the London bar, Cargo, and Cost and Revs used to sell their paintings in Tompkins Square Park.
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.
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.
But neither of those things got David his first million dollars. For that, he credits gambling in Las Vegas.
Banksy isn't the only artist whose art has been given the OK from local governments to remain up after its illegal installation.
Banksy isn’t the only artist whose art has been given the OK from local governments to remain up after its illegal installation.
The famous Wall Street Bull statue by Arturo Di Modica (actually called Charging Bull) was originally installed by the artist without prior permission. Although it was briefly removed, it was reinstalled (officially this time) and has now been there for over two decades.
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.
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.
Charlie met Fab 5 Freddy in a chance encounter at the historic Times Square Show during the summer of 1980, and Fab 5 Freddy was able to reintroduce Charlie and Lee. Soon after that, the three of them began working together on Wild Style.
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 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.
The Underbelly Project brought about 100 artists into an abandoned shell of a subway underneath New York City.
Stars from graffiti and street art like Faile, Swoon, Revok, and Ron English were all included, but two big names are absent from the project. It’s no surprise that Banksy did not participate, but Shepard Fairey didn’t get into the station either. Shepard was scheduled to participate, but then the heightened security after a failed car bomb in Times Square made it too risky for Shepard to go to while he was in town.
Photographed by: RJ Rushmore
Keith Haring was inspired by Angel Ortiz aka LA II, a graffiti writer nearly 10 years younger than Haring.
Keith Haring was inspired by Angel Ortiz aka LA II, a graffiti writer nearly 10 years younger than Haring.
They collaborated for a number years, but the collaborations have gone widely unacknowledged until recently. Even while Ortiz and Haring were actively collaborating in the studio, works were often listed in galleries as only Haring’s work. These days, Haring’s website shows about a dozen collaborations between Haring and Ortiz.
It's been suggested that the term "street art" is a very modern invention.
It’s been suggested that the term “street art” is a very modern invention that really only came into wide use once the work itself became very popular and people needed a term to describe what they were seeing.
However, in 1985, Doubleday published a book by Allan Schwartzman called Street Art. Schwartzman covered work by early street art pioneers like Richard Hambleton, Keith Haring, and John Fekner, as well as artists more in the graffiti camp like Lee and Futura. Today, Schwartzman is one of New York City’s top contemporary art advisors.
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.
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.
As it turns out, Thierry, seemingly just a strange Frenchman with a video camera (and Space Invader’s cousin) before starting to make art as Mr. Brainwash, owned a lot of property in Los Angeles, so he was able to provide street artists with wallspace. Artists would come to town and immediately seek him out, not because he was filming them for some documentary, but because he had walls they could paint.
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.
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.
It was fellow artist Phil Frost who took Shepard around New York City, taught him how to use wheatpaste, and taught him how to properly apply posters so that they would stay up.
The Bowery and Houston wall in New York City and the Wynwood Walls in Miami are owned by the same company.
The Bowery and Houston wall in New York City and the Wynwood Walls in Miami are owned by the same company.
Have you ever noticed how a lot of the same artists who have painted the Bowery and Houston wall in New York City have also painted at Wynwood Walls in Miami? It’s not just because both projects work with top tier artists. The properties are both owned by the same company, Goldman Properties. Goldman Properties also owns buildings in downtown Philadelphia, where Gaia, How&Nosm and Kenny Scharf have painted.
first image via (Photographed by: David Boyle)
second image via (Photographed by: Rob React)
Swoon was originally mistaken to be a man.
Swoon was originally mistaken to be a man.
In our experience, the vast majority of street artists turn out to be men. Of course, you never know for sure when you see something on the street, but it’s usually a good bet that the artist is a man. So, you can’t be too surprised that when the seminal street art blog Wooster Collective first started posting photos of Swoon’s work, they assumed Swoon was a man and wrote about Swoon with masculine pronouns. Swoon even emailed with the editors of the site and confirmed her gender as male. But of course, we now know that Swoon is a woman. It was only after she met the editors of Wooster Collective in person that she told them the truth.
Photographed by: RJ Rushmore
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.
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.
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.
Banksy's 2006 solo show in Los Angeles, "Barely Legal," was not his first.
The show is well-known as one of the biggest art events of the 2000s, but what many people don’t know is that it was not Banksy’s first solo show in Los Angeles. He also had a show there in 2002, but it was much smaller and did not get the kind of press or attention that "Barely Legal" received.
Shepard Fairey didn't even know that his own work was in a show at the legendary Alleged Gallery.
Shepard Fairey didn’t even know that his own work was in a show at the legendary Alleged Gallery.
...until Beastie Boys music video director, Evan Bernard, who Shepard had never been in touch with before, called him up on the day of the opening to ask if Shepard would be at the opening selling T-shirts. It was his first time showing work at a gallery in New York City.
Photographed by: RJ Rushmore
Jenny Holzer got her start on the street.
Jenny Holzer got her start on the street.
Jenny Holzer is known for being one of the most successful women in contemporary art, and she still does a fair bit of commissioned public art. What many people don’t realize is that she started off by illegally putting up posters and stickers with text from her Inflammatory Essays and Truisms series.
first image via (Photographed by: Lord Jim)
second image via (Photographed by: rosmary)
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.
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.
In the the nearly 20 years between filming and release, the soundtrack had disappeared, so all the vocals had to be re-recorded. Since Basquiat died in 1988, Saul Williams was brought in to record Basquiat’s lines.
John Fekner and David Wojnarowicz were in New York City and using stencils for their street art in the late 1970's.
John Fekner and David Wojnarowicz were in New York City using stencils for their street art in the late 1970s.
That’s a few years before Blek le Rat was using stencils (who is generally considered the godfather of stencil on the street).
Just because Blek le Rat wasn’t first doesn’t mean he isn’t a godfather.
Just because Blek le Rat wasn’t first doesn’t mean he isn’t a godfather.
When he started, he was the only stencil artist in Paris and one of only a handful of street artists. Within a few years, there were literally hundreds of street artists in Paris and almost all of them were using stencils.