Gallery 69 in TriBeCa took it old school recently with an event that gave me goose bumps the entire time! "Old Skool Graffiti Art" was the event that that featured most of the biggest names in graffiti of the 70's. These guys were the ones who painted the trains (and subways), bringing the world of street art and graffiti to what it is today.
I used to try to write like they did when I was oh, say, 10 years old, thus, knowing my love and admiration for the real-deal street art, began very early. Oh, the stories, so many of these guys knew and painted with Keith Haring and even Warhol, they shows me photos. Jealousy! I have many books on the subject but to actually meet the guys IN the book, the REAL artists - priceless. It was the same kind of goose bump material as when I bought 365 Days of Graffiti in Miami at Art Basel and a long row of the artists signed it.
Here are a few, well, many, photos of that night. See all the giants like Lava, Clyde, Joe Russo, Slave, Reez, Cornbread, Mico and the list goes on. (Of course, no one documents it better than my hero, Martha Cooper, who has published several books on the subject.) My daily/ weekly, documentation is just the tip of the iceberg, mainly trying to capture (almost), everything going on these days in NYC street art. To see the original guys, again, priceless. (If you want to acquire your own signature collection of street art books, just look her up on amazon.com and shop away. Email me if you'd like my humble recommendations.)
Now, a blurb on the original kings of graffiti....
A canvas the guys were all signing....
The scene early on, it gets much busier after, I like to get there early to get all the art photos I can...
The one and only LAVA with fans.....his art hangs below. Recognize this? If you are over 38 as am I, you may....
More by Lava from the 70's....
Lucky me, I received an original MTA map and many of the guys signed it. Like Christmas friends....like Christmas! That's mine being signed below...
More LAVA....
Outside looking in....
Lava singing my art card....
Signing - tagging, tagging signing....
My MTA priceless map! Almost the finished product....
There will be another post on this, as well as continuous street art post. Plus, very soon Diane Pernet by Nick Walker - FASHION & ART MIX approved for sure. And, tons coming up from the Bowery mural and new stuff at 5Points.