PrimeLuck ArtsStreet art and graffiti
Street art is art made in public space. It grew from graffiti writing and now includes murals, stencils and paste-ups, with a global audience.
- Period
- Postwar and contemporary art
- Approximate dates
- From the 1970s to today
- Place of origin
- Philadelphia and New York City, United States
- Key regions
- Worldwide
- Art forms
- Spray paint, stencil, mural, paste-up, sticker, installation
- Major artists
- Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Shepard Fairey, JR
Visual introduction
Crack Is Wack mural
Keith Haring · 1986 · Paint on handball court wall · Harlem, New York
A public mural with a clear message and Haring's bold, simple line.
Love is in the Bin
Banksy · 2018 · Spray paint and acrylic on canvas, partly shredded
Shredded at auction right after sale, it turned the art market itself into part of the work.
Hope poster
Shepard Fairey · 2008 · Stencil-style print
A graphic portrait that spread widely as a poster, sticker and online image.
Historical context
Modern graffiti writing grew in Philadelphia and New York in the late 1960s and 1970s, among young people who wrote their names on walls and trains. Hip hop culture helped spread it.
Some artists, such as Haring and Basquiat, moved from the street into galleries. From the 1990s, stencil and mural work became more visible, and today city festivals and commissions sit alongside unauthorised work. It raises questions about ownership of public space, legality and who art is for.
Visual characteristics
Methods: spray paint, stencils, paste-ups, stickers and large-scale murals.
Style: bold lettering, strong graphic images and quick, readable messages.
Setting: the street itself is part of the work, and social and political comment is common.
Related movements
Sources and further reading
Further reading: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. Tate, Art Terms. Smarthistory.