100 Best Graffiti Books of All Time
We've researched and ranked the best graffiti books in the world, based on recommendations from world experts, sales data, and millions of reader ratings. Learn more
1
Banksy, Britain's now-legendary "guerilla" street artist, has painted the walls, streets, and bridges of towns and cities throughout the world. Not only did he smuggle his pieces into four of New York City's major art museums, he's also "hung" his work at London's Tate Gallery and adorned Israel's West Bank barrier with satirical images. Banksy's identity remains unknown, but his work is unmistakable with prints selling for as much as $45,000. less
2
In 1984 the groundbreaking Subway Art brought graffiti to the world, presenting stunning photographic documentation of the burgeoning movement in New York. Thirty years later, this bible of street art has been updated with over seventy photographs not included in the original edition and new insights on an incredibly rich period for urban art and its legacy.
In new introductions, authors Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant recall how they gained entry into the New York City graffiti community in the 1970s and 1980s. New afterwords continue the story, tracing the decline... more
In new introductions, authors Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant recall how they gained entry into the New York City graffiti community in the 1970s and 1980s. New afterwords continue the story, tracing the decline... more
3
Classic graffiti lettering and experimental typographical forms lie at the heart of street culture and have long inspired designers in many different fields. But graffiti
artists, who tend to paint the same letters of their tag again and again, rarely design complete alphabets.
Claudia Walde spent over two years collecting alphabets by 154 artists from thirty countries to show the many different styles and approaches to lettering within the graffiti and street art cultures. All of the artists have roots in graffiti. Some are world renowned such as 123 Klan... more
artists, who tend to paint the same letters of their tag again and again, rarely design complete alphabets.
Claudia Walde spent over two years collecting alphabets by 154 artists from thirty countries to show the many different styles and approaches to lettering within the graffiti and street art cultures. All of the artists have roots in graffiti. Some are world renowned such as 123 Klan... more
4
Although the public perception of graffiti has changed radically over the last fifty years, few would have predicted that it would become the subject of this major new textbook.
Christoph Ganter covers the history of informal mark-making in the public realm, from the first unauthorized characters inscribed on the ancient walls of Egypt and Pompeii to nineteenth-century Vienna, where Joseph Kyselak established himself as the father of graffiti; from New York’s “Taki 183,” the first modern graffiti writer, to more recent developments brought about by the Hip Hop revolution. The... more
Christoph Ganter covers the history of informal mark-making in the public realm, from the first unauthorized characters inscribed on the ancient walls of Egypt and Pompeii to nineteenth-century Vienna, where Joseph Kyselak established himself as the father of graffiti; from New York’s “Taki 183,” the first modern graffiti writer, to more recent developments brought about by the Hip Hop revolution. The... more
5
Graffiti World, now updated, is the most comprehensive and bestselling survey of graffiti art ever published. The original collection of more than 2,000 illustrations by over 150 artists around the world is joined by a new section devoted to work created in the five years since the book's first edition.
Graffiti has long been a ubiquitous aspect of the urban landscape, since anonymous, largely unsung spray-can art first hit city walls in New York and Philadelphia in the late 1960s. As hip-hop culture spread from America, graffiti became a worldwide phenomenon, emerging... more
Graffiti has long been a ubiquitous aspect of the urban landscape, since anonymous, largely unsung spray-can art first hit city walls in New York and Philadelphia in the late 1960s. As hip-hop culture spread from America, graffiti became a worldwide phenomenon, emerging... more
6
Lucy is in love with Shadow, a mysterious graffiti artist.
Ed thought he was in love with Lucy, until she broke his nose.
Dylan loves Daisy, but throwing eggs at her probably wasn't the best way to show it.
Jazz and Leo are slowly encircling each other.
An intense and exhilarating 24 hours in the lives of four teenagers on the verge: of adulthood, of HSC, of finding out just who they are, and who they want to be.
A lyrical new YA novel from the award-winning author of Chasing Charlie Duskin and the Gracie... more
Ed thought he was in love with Lucy, until she broke his nose.
Dylan loves Daisy, but throwing eggs at her probably wasn't the best way to show it.
Jazz and Leo are slowly encircling each other.
An intense and exhilarating 24 hours in the lives of four teenagers on the verge: of adulthood, of HSC, of finding out just who they are, and who they want to be.
A lyrical new YA novel from the award-winning author of Chasing Charlie Duskin and the Gracie... more
7
Shows examples of graffiti from around the world and shares the opinions of graffiti artists about their work. less
8
Can't Stop Won't Stop is a powerful cultural and social history of the end of the American century, and a provocative look into the new world that the hip-hop generation created.
Forged in the fires of the Bronx and Kingston, Jamaica, hip-hop became the Esperanto of youth rebellion and a generation-defining movement. In a post-civil rights era defined by deindustrialization and globalization, hip-hop crystallized a multiracial, polycultural generation's worldview, and transformed American politics and culture. But that epic story has never been told with this kind of... more
Forged in the fires of the Bronx and Kingston, Jamaica, hip-hop became the Esperanto of youth rebellion and a generation-defining movement. In a post-civil rights era defined by deindustrialization and globalization, hip-hop crystallized a multiracial, polycultural generation's worldview, and transformed American politics and culture. But that epic story has never been told with this kind of... more
Dorian LynskeyThis is not the biography of a single activist. It is a kind of sociopolitical history of hip-hop. It goes back a long way. Chang spends a lot of time describing the rise of gangs from the late 1960s. He tells you a lot about 1970s New York. Hip-hop really started as an artform long before most people outside the Bronx were aware of it. And I loved this social background because it shows that if... (Source)
Doug RossinowHip-hop culture was the authentic cultural expression of young people of color in America at a time when they saw fairly bleak prospects for themselves. (Source)
9
When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural.
Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.
Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of... more
Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up.
Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of... more
10
The Fortress of Solitude is the story of Dylan Ebdus growing up white and motherless in downtown Brooklyn in the 1970s. It's a neighborhood where the entertainments include muggings along with games of stoopball. In that world, Dylan has one friend, a black teenager, also motherless, named Mingus Rude. As Lethem follows the knitting and unraveling of their friendship, he creates an overwhelmingly rich and emotionally gripping canvas of race and class, superheros, gentrification, funk, hip-hop, graffiti tagging, loyalty, and memory. The Fortress of Solitude is the first great urban coming of... more
Jay McInerneyLethem was one of the first people to write about the new Brooklyn. This is a beautiful coming-of-age novel. (Source)
Bryan CallenSo here are my three must read books. I've been reading a lot of great books like: Outsmart Your Instincts, The Culture Code, and Antonio Damasio’s The Strange Order, and sometimes when you read a lot of nonfiction it’s very enriching, sometimes you need a novel. I really believe you should take a minute and read something beautiful. Listen, listen to Lolita by Nabokov. But also listen to Blood... (Source)
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
11
Like "Graffiti World," "Freight Train Graffiti" is the definitive history of a vibrant art form. Until now there was almost no written insight into this vast subculture, which inspires fascination across America and around the world. As dazzling as the art it celebrates, the book is packed with 1,000 full-color illustrations and features in-depth interviews with more than 125 train artists and "writers." Hundreds of never-before-seen photographs span the style's evolution, while the authoritative text from an all-star team of authors provides unprecedented perspective, including the... more
12
Over the last decade, street art—art made in public spaces including graffiti, stickers, stencil art, and wheat-pasting— has become one of the most popular and hotly discussed areas of art practice on the contemporary scene. Developing out of the graffiti-writing tradition of the 1980s through the work of artists such as Banksy and Futura 2000, it has long since reached the mainstream. Street Art is the first measured, critical account of the development of this global phenomenon. Tracing street art’s origins in cave painting through the Paris walls photographed by Brassai in the ’20s... more
13
Beatrix Adams knows exactly how she’s spending the summer before her senior year. Determined to follow in Da Vinci’s footsteps, she’s ready to tackle the one thing that will give her an advantage in a museum-sponsored scholarship contest: drawing actual cadavers. But when she tries to sneak her way into the hospital’s Willed Body program and misses the last metro train home, she meets a boy who turns her summer plans upside down.
Jack is charming, wildly attractive, and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix... more
Jack is charming, wildly attractive, and possibly one of San Francisco’s most notorious graffiti artists. On midnight buses and city rooftops, Beatrix... more
14
From the author of the enormously successful "Graffiti World" comes this spectacular follow-up, celebrating the contributions of women to contemporary graffiti and street art.
Female writers have always been in the vanguard of the graffiti movement, though often shunted to the sidelines by their male counterparts. This exhaustive volume places them front and center, featuring 1,000 full-color illustrations from some of the world's most prominent artists, including Brazil's Nina, Japan's Sasu, Mexico's Peste, and the Americans Lady Pink, Swoon, and Miss 17. Two eight-page fold-out... more
Female writers have always been in the vanguard of the graffiti movement, though often shunted to the sidelines by their male counterparts. This exhaustive volume places them front and center, featuring 1,000 full-color illustrations from some of the world's most prominent artists, including Brazil's Nina, Japan's Sasu, Mexico's Peste, and the Americans Lady Pink, Swoon, and Miss 17. Two eight-page fold-out... more
15
Hip hop culture emerged from an environment of extreme deprivation and decay in the South Bronx, New York City. The concept of pure invention--of creating something from nothing--was in full effect at the end of the 1970s as graffiti ("borrowed" spray paint), breaking (cardboard as dance floor), and outdoor jams (electricity source: the base of street lights) captured the attention of urban youth, coalescing into new forms of artistic expression. Fortunately, photographer Martha Cooper was at the right place at the right time to document the people that created the music, dance, and art that... more
16
New expanded 248pp 2019 Edition. The single best collection of photography of Banksy's street work that has ever been assembled for print. If that isn't enough there are some words too. You Are An Acceptable Level of Threat covers his entire street art career, spanning the late '90s right up to the 'Seasons Greetings' Christmas 2018 piece in Port Talbot, Wales. This new edition includes his self-destructing 'Love is in the Bin' intervention, which according to Sotheby's is "the first artwork in history to have been created live during an auction." The groundbreaking 'Dismaland' show, his... more
17
Once viewed as merely a blemish on the urban landscape, graffiti today has evolved into a legitimate art form in its own right, influencing entertainment, advertising, fashion and other creative industries worldwide.
In this unprecedented book, master graffiti artist Scape Martinez shows how he does his thing, offering streetwise advice to help other -writers- create maximum-impact, legally sanctioned work. Step by step, he lays out the philosophies and realities of the genre. From picking a -tag- and developing letterforms, to the logistics of prepping a wall and working a spray... more
In this unprecedented book, master graffiti artist Scape Martinez shows how he does his thing, offering streetwise advice to help other -writers- create maximum-impact, legally sanctioned work. Step by step, he lays out the philosophies and realities of the genre. From picking a -tag- and developing letterforms, to the logistics of prepping a wall and working a spray... more
18
A collection of photographs of Banksy's street work. You Are An Acceptable Level of Threat concentrates on this singular artist's iconic imagery, spanning the late '90s up until the end of 2011. The locations are from around the world (predominantly the UK, US and Europe), and many images have never been seen before. When Banksy started out painting, the political landscape was bleak. Fortunately now, it's ten times worse. As Banksy's cheerfully aggressive political work becomes ever more relevant, this comprehensive tome sets about presenting his art in the context of the era he was... more
19
Decades after the movement globalized, New York is still the mecca of graffiti culture. Painting there is a badge of honor, with graffiti artists from around the globe making pilgrimages to New York for that purpose. This is the city where it all began, yet few know the back story.
Graffiti New York fills that gap, detailing the concepts, aesthetics, ideals, and social structures that have served as a cultural blueprint for graffiti movements across the world. The book features approximately 1,000 images, complemented by texts by the authors and relevant... more
Graffiti New York fills that gap, detailing the concepts, aesthetics, ideals, and social structures that have served as a cultural blueprint for graffiti movements across the world. The book features approximately 1,000 images, complemented by texts by the authors and relevant... more
20
Make the world your studio!
Capture the bustle and beauty of life in your town.
Experience life as only an artist can! Join the rapidly growing, international movement of artists united by a passion for drawing on location in the cities, towns and villages where they live and travel. Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you'll fi nd everything you need to... more
Capture the bustle and beauty of life in your town.
Experience life as only an artist can! Join the rapidly growing, international movement of artists united by a passion for drawing on location in the cities, towns and villages where they live and travel. Packed with art and advice from Marc Taro Holmes, artist and co-founder of Urbansketchers.org, this self-directed workshop shows you how to draw inspiration from real life and bring that same excitement into your sketchbook. Inside you'll fi nd everything you need to... more
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
21
From Obey to Obama and all that s in between, Supply & Demand, The Art of Shepard Fairey - 20th Anniversary Edition expands upon the previous version of this book and adds 100 new pages of illustrations and text to showcase Fairey s entire body of work, a massive retrospective covering 20 colorful years. Thrust into the spotlight for his image of President-elect Barack Obama, Fairey helped catalyze a movement from his unique vantage at the intersection of art, popular culture and politics. The book includes versions of the image as well as a copy of correspondence from the President... more
22
What started as simple street movement, a way to assert individuality and pride, has blossomed into much more: Graffiti is everywhere. From Sprite commercials to The Source magazine to Soho art galleries, the elements and vernacular of the graffiti aesthetic are apparent in today's society. This book examines graffiti's influence from its earliest days to its undeniable ubiquity now. Written by an insider, it includes a general history, in-depth interviews with both the progenitors of the form and current artists, and full-color illustrations of the most important works over the last... more
24
The Faith of Graffiti is the classic, definitive look at the birth of graffiti as an art form, pairing the fascinating 1974 essay by Norman Mailer—National Book Award and two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Naked and the Dead and The Executioner’s Song—with the stunning, iconic photography of internationally acclaimed photographer Jon Naar. Back in print for the first time in three decades and expanded with 32 pages of additional photos, The Faith of Graffiti is a landmark in the history of street art: an essential, contemporary, and... more
25
The greatest cultural accomplishments in history have never been the result of the brainstorms of marketing men, corporate focus groups or any homogenized methods; they have always happened organically. More often than not, these manifestations have been the result of a few like-minded people coming together to create something new and original for no other purpose than a common love of doing it. In the 1990s, a loose-knit group of American artists and creators, many just out of their teens, began their careers in just such a way. Influenced by the popular underground youth subcultures of the... more
26
“We could have been called a lot of things: brazen vandals, scared kids, threats to social order, self-obsessed egomaniacs, marginalized youth, outsider artists, trend setters, and thrill seekers. But, to me, we were just regular kids growing up hard in America and making the city our own. Being ‘writers’ gave us something to live for and ‘going all city’ gave us something to strive for; and for some of my friends it was something to die for.”
In the age of commissioned wall murals and trendy street art, it’s easy to forget graffiti’s complicated and often violent... more
In the age of commissioned wall murals and trendy street art, it’s easy to forget graffiti’s complicated and often violent... more
27
A comprehensive account of the first decade of the graffiti-writing subculture in Melbourne, Australia, this compilation pays tribute to the individual writers and crews who established the city’s reputation as a global street-art presence. Beginning with the year 1983, this volume depicts the rapid changes in styles in these early years as Melbourne’s graffiti changed from simple scrawls to intricate murals of astonishing complexity. Part visual encyclopedia and part social history, this compelling record details the events, spaces, materials, and folklore of what made up the lives of the... more
29
BLADE has already told his life story through graffiti. Now, more than forty years into his career and armed with an incredible memory, BLADE sits down with Chris Pape to reflect on growing up in the Bronx in the turbulent 1970s, and recounts the highs and lows of his storied career, holding nothing back. BLADE is considered "The King of Graffiti" because, by 1980, after painting 5,000 wildly creative trains, he stopped counting. This book parallels the New York graffiti movement almost from its inception, moving through its glory years in the mid-1970s, when BLADE earned his title, and... more
30
As an art student in 1993, Michael De Feo drew a simple bloom that became a familiar and welcome presence in New York after he spent countless nights pasting hundreds of versions of it all over the city’s building walls. Twenty-five years later, these flowers have been sighted in more than 60 international cities. His street works took a new direction in 2015 when a guerrilla art collective provided him access to the cases that protect bus-shelter ads, enabling him to launch a beautiful campaign of his blossoms on top of fashion ads. His art has taken many forms, including a substantial body... more
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
31
How hip-hop culture and graffiti electrified the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat and his contemporaries in 1980s New York
In the early 1980s, art and writing labeled as graffiti began to transition from New York City walls and subway trains onto canvas and into art galleries. Young artists who freely sampled from their urban experiences and their largely Black, Latinx and immigrant histories infused the downtown art scene with expressionist, pop and graffiti-inspired compositions.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88) became the galvanizing, iconic... more
In the early 1980s, art and writing labeled as graffiti began to transition from New York City walls and subway trains onto canvas and into art galleries. Young artists who freely sampled from their urban experiences and their largely Black, Latinx and immigrant histories infused the downtown art scene with expressionist, pop and graffiti-inspired compositions.
Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88) became the galvanizing, iconic... more
33
Lost or forgotten were the walls that now proudly carry the messages of calligraffiti artist eL Seed. "Lost Walls," his first book, beautifully and poetically documents these walls, handpicked during his road trip around Tunisia. "Lost Walls" is a calligraffiti journey of discovery for eL Seed, who chronicles the painting of 24 walls in four weeks. Inspired by the reaction to his largest project to date, the minaret of the Jara mosque in his ancestral home of Gabes, eL Seed decided to set out on this month-long personal journey across his motherland, painting "lost" walls along the way. This... more
34
The Art of Urban Sketching is both a comprehensive guide and a showcase of location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel. Authored by the founder of the nonprofit organization Urban Sketchers (www.urbansketchers.org), this beautiful, 320-page volume explains urban sketching within the context of a long historical tradition and how it is being practiced today. With profiles of leading practitioners and discussions of the benefits of working in this art form, this... more
35
Iconic photographer/director Estevan Oriol releases a follow-up to his cornerstone LA Woman book: Portraiture of Los Angeles Volume 1. The release of Oriol's first published book, LA Woman (2009), caught fans and followers by surprise. Capturing the women of Los Angeles in their most confronting, gritty environments it was not the subject matter he was most well-known for. It established Estevan Oriol as the king of female street photography, cementing his reputation as Los Angeles' most respected street photographer. LA Woman was a smash hit, selling out globally in a very short time.... more
36
In this blockbuster word-of-mouth, underground classic, Bomb the Suburbs: Graffiti, Race, Freight-Hopping and the Search for Hip Hop's Moral Center, William Upski Wimsatt attacks the whole idea of the suburb as "an unfortunate state- of-mind..., founded on fear, conformity, shallowness of character, and dullness of imagination." Upski uses his coming of age in the Chicago break dancing and hip hop scene as a springboard into a totally original discussion of american identity. Bomb the Suburbs: Graffiti, Race, Freight-Hopping and the Search for Hip Hop's Moral Center is a... more
38
Stickers are an essential part of the street art movement. Inexpensive and easy to produce, they act as a kind of informal business card for some graffiti writers, and a quick and effective promotional tool for many artists and illustrators. As more and more stickers are placed around major cities in the world, interest in the subject keeps growing.
Stickers have been the subject of many street art publications to date, but most of these are collections of photographs of stickers spotted in urban environments. These books are missing the fundamental fun of stickers – the fun of... more
Stickers have been the subject of many street art publications to date, but most of these are collections of photographs of stickers spotted in urban environments. These books are missing the fundamental fun of stickers – the fun of... more
39
A new bible of sticker art--a visual history of street art in one of its most elemental, accessible, provocative, and ubiquitous forms--with twelve pages of collectible stickers
A new bible of sticker art--a visual history of street art in one of its most elemental, accessible, provocative, and ubiquitous forms--with twelve pages of collectible stickers
This follow-up volume features more than 3,000 stickers from the vibrant and constantly evolving world of street art, where DIY culture meets music, graffiti, design, and branding.
Cheap, democratic, easy to "tag,"... more
A new bible of sticker art--a visual history of street art in one of its most elemental, accessible, provocative, and ubiquitous forms--with twelve pages of collectible stickers
This follow-up volume features more than 3,000 stickers from the vibrant and constantly evolving world of street art, where DIY culture meets music, graffiti, design, and branding.
Cheap, democratic, easy to "tag,"... more
40
Graffiti 365 delivers the first real insider’s view into the contemporary graffiti and street-art scenes, as well as their antecedents. A fun, wide-ranging survey of the international graffiti movement, this book uses more than 600 rare, previously unpublished, or legendary images to introduce and describe important artists—from Blade to Banksy—and styles—from bubble to wild. Along the way, Graffiti 365 covers different eras, cities, legendary walls and crews, police and public responses to graffiti, and more.
The author of Graffiti 365, J.SON, has been an artist... more
The author of Graffiti 365, J.SON, has been an artist... more
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
41
Graffiti Kings is the definitive book on New York's subway graffiti movement, an unprecedented creative explosion that occurred across the five boroughs during the 1970s. This rare, firsthand account of the birth of this movement is the first and only graffiti book to reveal what happened behind the scenes when writers put their lives on the line to grab a piece of fame from a faceless urban landscape.
Through personal interviews and over 275 full-color, previously unpublished photographs, the colorful origins of subway graffiti are brought to life. Legends such as... more
Through personal interviews and over 275 full-color, previously unpublished photographs, the colorful origins of subway graffiti are brought to life. Legends such as... more
42
With 40 years of history as an organized artistic lifestyle sport, graffiti has sprung from the neglected neighbourhoods of New York and Philadelphia to cover cities throughout the world. This book provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the roots of a subculture that has managed to movemainstream without losing its edge. less
43
'Calligraffiti - The Graphic Art of Niels "SHOE" Meulman' is an impressive publication that presents a large selection of typographic works by Niels Shoe Meulman arranged in a uniquely simplistic manner; every spread presents two interacting visuals on its opposing pages. This repeating duality makes this book much more than just a collection of the artists best work; it unveils the basis of all graphic art. The idea of universal harmony, sometimes described as yin and yang, is translated to the 21st century. Like black and white or even less and more. Throughout the book there will be... more
44
Fuzz One is the staggering, outrageous, true story of a raucous and wholly unsupervised childhood in the Bronx of the 1970s. Through Vincent Fedorchak's hilarious deadpan narration of a wild existence wrought with adolescent braggadocio, we are taken on a rough journey through a deteriorating Bronx jungle-wonderland where property value was plummeting and kids ruled the streets. Whether executing a bizarre graffiti mission in another borough with all the insanity of a special ops soldier, fearlessly tracking down Satan-worshippers camped out in the old castles in Van Cortlandt Park, or... more
45
The complete DIY bible of graffiti. Now in softcover! A rich source of inspiration for anyone interested in do-it-yourself culture. Graffiti Cookbook is a guide to the materials and techniques used within today s most creative and progressive art movement. In hundreds of pictures and illustrations and a dozen of interviews with some of the world s most famous artists the authors show how graffiti is made. From spray techniques and hand styles to tools and style analysis, Graffiti Cookbook takes us on a trip around the world in the search of the tricks and trades of graffiti writers. After... more
46
Since its founding in 2010, the POW! WOW! mural festival has quickly become a preeminent leader in the street art world. With annual exhibitions and events taking place across the globe, POW! WOW! has featured hundreds of internationally renowned street artists, each creating large scale public murals and works of art. Annual POW! WOW! Festivals occur around the world including in Honolulu Hawai'i, Long Beach, CA, Worcester, MA, San Jose, CA and Washington D.C. International events occur every year as well, notably in Tokyo, Korea, Rotterdam, Israel and Taiwan. Artists who have participated... more
47
Street artist Blek le Rat is revered and acknowledged by the international graffiti community, and his work has influenced CD design, advertising, and graphics, as well as the work of urban artists around the world.
From small, simple stencils to complex multimedia events, Blek's distinctive art is showcased here for the first time, demonstrating the development of his technique and creativity over two decades, from his unique images of Lady Diana and kidnapped journalist Florence Aubenas to his iconic silhouette of a rat.
The book features photographs of... more
From small, simple stencils to complex multimedia events, Blek's distinctive art is showcased here for the first time, demonstrating the development of his technique and creativity over two decades, from his unique images of Lady Diana and kidnapped journalist Florence Aubenas to his iconic silhouette of a rat.
The book features photographs of... more
48
The Nasty Terrible T-Kid 170 is the life story of graffiti writer T-Kid 170 from gang member to style mentor for urban youth--the uncensored Bronx hip hop story. At the age of sixteen, Julius Cavero was hit three times in a gang shoot-out in a park. Left there almost dead, he survived after weeks in a hospital emergency unit. With little else to do in the hospital, he drew endlessly, and it was there that he chose to become T-Kid 170--T for the tall and skinny look he had, and Kid just because that's what so many people called him. He had given up his gang life to focus on art. Few artists... more
49
Share 100 postcards featuring all your favorite cityscapes from Gabriel Campanario's The Art of Urban Sketching (Quarry Books). Enjoy beautiful and contemporary location drawings by artists around the world who draw the cities where they live and travel. less
50
Whether adored or abhorred, graffiti and street art provoke passionate debate. This is the first comprehensive popular survey of the art movement around the world. Organized thematically, it explores the origins of the movement and its evolution, the relationship between street art and the urban environment, its interactions with (or rejection of) the market and the world of commercial galleries, and the culture of street art online.
The book features a wide range of artists working in different media and styles across multiple countries. It explains the terms and language of... more
The book features a wide range of artists working in different media and styles across multiple countries. It explains the terms and language of... more
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
52
"In the beginning, there was the Word. On the streets and in the yards, the word was the Name. And the name was everything. It was persona and place, form and content, truth and fiction. The name was an act of self-invention, a pure visual manifestation, through alter ego, alias, and nom de plume, of personal expressions in the public realm. The name was a line and the line begat the Mark. Then, in the great style wars toward the end of the second millennium, medium, meaning, and message were joined in a golden era where the name became the source and signifier of Style. And when the name... more
53
The second, eagerly awaited Banksy collection. Same handy pocket size as Banging Your Head...now in full, glorious color. As ever, the stencils and art are complemented with various commentary, thoughts and context from the man himself, together with various reviews and emails. Quite superb. less
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Create Your Own Comic Book Today! Art Book and Sketchbook for Kids!
Kids love making their own cartoons and comics. This Blank Comic Book Notebook will give them plenty of room to tell their stories. Filled with comic book templates of various styles, with over 100 pages, this book will keep budding artists busy for hours. Sized a bit larger than a normal comic book at 8.5" x 11" there's more room for them to immerse themselves in their own creativity. It's the perfect gift for the holidays as kids will have extra time to sit down and draw.
Full features include:
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Kids love making their own cartoons and comics. This Blank Comic Book Notebook will give them plenty of room to tell their stories. Filled with comic book templates of various styles, with over 100 pages, this book will keep budding artists busy for hours. Sized a bit larger than a normal comic book at 8.5" x 11" there's more room for them to immerse themselves in their own creativity. It's the perfect gift for the holidays as kids will have extra time to sit down and draw.
Full features include:
more
55
Wheres Banksy? fully captures the drama of this illustrious artist's exploits on the world stage with clever chronologically-arranged maps. The only survey that looks at Banksy's entire street art career, from his earliest works in 2002 through Dismaland and to the present, the book details his most significant works one piece at a time, with photos and in-depth analysis of the history of each work as well as its often-deeper meaning. A modern day Robin Hood, Banksy's public persona has grown to mythic proportions, making his actual identity irrelevant. And yet, he can be found in his art... more
56
"Getting Up" is the term used by graffiti "artists" to describe their success in making their mark on the New York subway system. Through candid interviews, New Yorker Craig Castleman documents the inside story of the lives and activities of these young graffitists. less
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The medieval world was a distinctive one, rich in change and diversity. This book brings together these disparate worlds to show one medieval world, stretching from Connacht to Constantinople and from Tynemouth to Timbuktu. This set of reconstructions presents the reader with the future of the medieval past, offering appraisals of the evidence and modern historical writing. Articles are thematically linked in four sections, exploring identities in the medieval world; beliefs, social values and symbolic order; power and power-structures; and elites, organisations and groups. This set of views... more
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A glimpse into the lives of anonymous graffiti artists that asks us to question the true purpose of art.
Graffiti crews are willing to risk anything for their art. Called vandals, criminals, even creative terrorists, graffiti artists set out to make their voices heard and alter the way people view the world. But when one crew finishes the biggest graffiti bomb of their careers, the consequences get serious and spark a public debate asking, "Where does art belong?" less
Graffiti crews are willing to risk anything for their art. Called vandals, criminals, even creative terrorists, graffiti artists set out to make their voices heard and alter the way people view the world. But when one crew finishes the biggest graffiti bomb of their careers, the consequences get serious and spark a public debate asking, "Where does art belong?" less
59
A cool selection of classic skateboard stickers from five key skateboard brands.
This new book of fully peelable stickers, compiled by the Stickerbomb team, brings together the best skateboard stickers – both classic and new – from the 1970s to today.
From Jim Philip's legendary drawings for Santa Cruz, to the innovative, graphic–led creations from Girl and Alien Workshop, Stickerbomb Skate illustrates the central role that stickers have played in skate culture.
Including five legendary skate brands –
Alien Workshop
REAL
Toy... more
This new book of fully peelable stickers, compiled by the Stickerbomb team, brings together the best skateboard stickers – both classic and new – from the 1970s to today.
From Jim Philip's legendary drawings for Santa Cruz, to the innovative, graphic–led creations from Girl and Alien Workshop, Stickerbomb Skate illustrates the central role that stickers have played in skate culture.
Including five legendary skate brands –
Alien Workshop
REAL
Toy... more
60
The first incendiary collection of stencils and graffiti from Banksy, presented and bound in a handy pocket sized high quality format. Rarely have art and politics been put to such fine, and overtly public, use. Mix the irony and juxtaposition of John Yates with the beauty of the finest aerosol art, and you'll have some idea of how good this really is. The reproductions are interspersed with an excellent array of quotes, statements, letters and a beginners guide to painting with stencils. Very, very good. less
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
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These textured urban walls provide an interesting backdrop for notes, musings, drawings, doodles, and more. Indulge your inner graffiti artist - without the risk of jail time! less
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While hiding from the limelight, Banksy has made himself into one of the world's best-known living artists. His pieces have fetched millions of dollars at prestigious auction houses. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his film Exit Through the Gift Shop. Once viewed as vandalism, his work is now venerated; fans have gone so far as to dismantle the walls that he has painted on for collection and sale.
But as famous as Banksy is, he is also utterly unknown—he conceals his real name, hides his face, distorts his voice, and reveals his identity to only a select few. Who... more
But as famous as Banksy is, he is also utterly unknown—he conceals his real name, hides his face, distorts his voice, and reveals his identity to only a select few. Who... more
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After San Francisco's new mayor announced imminent plans to "clean up" downtown with a new corporate "dot com corridor" and arts district--featuring the new headquarters of Twitter and Burning Man--curators Erick Lyle, Chris Johanson and Kal Spelletich brought over 100 artists and activists together with residents fearing displacement to consider utopian aspirations and plot alternative futures for the city. The resulting exhibition, "Streetopia," was a massive anti-gentrification art fair that took place in venues throughout the city, featuring daily free talks, performances, skillshares and... more
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Renowned graffiti artist KET looks at 38 of the most influential urban artists from around the world
From being spray-painted onto walls and trains, to enjoying acclaim in galleries and museums, the graffiti movement has changed. Far from being viewed as mindless vandalism, graffiti, or urban street art, has become prized as a highly valued and socially relevant art form. Renowned graffiti artist KET selects 38 of the most influential and pioneering urban artists from around the world who have driven this transformation. Alongside selections of their artwork, KET explores... more
From being spray-painted onto walls and trains, to enjoying acclaim in galleries and museums, the graffiti movement has changed. Far from being viewed as mindless vandalism, graffiti, or urban street art, has become prized as a highly valued and socially relevant art form. Renowned graffiti artist KET selects 38 of the most influential and pioneering urban artists from around the world who have driven this transformation. Alongside selections of their artwork, KET explores... more
65
A template for pranksters, artists, adventurers and anyone interested in rampant creativity, for years to come. Tales Of The San Francisco Cacophony Society tells the history of the most influential underground cabal that you have never heard of. Rising from the ashes of the mysterious and legendary Suicide Club, The Cacophony Society, at its zenith, hosted chapters in over a dozen major cities, and influenced much of what was once called the underground. Flash Mobs, Urban Exploration, and Culture Jamming are a few of the pop culture trends that Cacophony helped kick off. Chuck Palahniuk's... more
67
On the sides of buildings, on bridges, billboards, mailboxes, and street signs, and especially in the subway and train tunnels, graffiti covers much of New York City. Love it or hate it, graffiti, from the humble tag to the intricate piece (short for masterpiece), is an undeniable part of the cityscape.
In Graffiti Lives, Gregory J. Snyder offers a fascinating and rare look into this world of contemporary graffiti culture. A world in which kids, often, shoplift for spray paint, scale impossibly high places to find a great spot to "get up," run from the police, journey into underground... more
In Graffiti Lives, Gregory J. Snyder offers a fascinating and rare look into this world of contemporary graffiti culture. A world in which kids, often, shoplift for spray paint, scale impossibly high places to find a great spot to "get up," run from the police, journey into underground... more
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Million Dollar Vandal : The story of one of New York's most reviled citizens: a graffiti writer named Robert Morrissey, best known as DESA, the moniker that brought him the hate. There were writers who did more graffiti, but no one matched Desa when it came to bad luck: he was in the midst of a hard-luck life when he became the whipping boy of New York's law enforcement whenever it needed to make its graffiti crackdown visible. Desa's legal trials for graffiti made headlines: notoriety which Desa alternately relished and ran from. Million Dollar Vandal chronicles Desa's violent and tragic... more
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The graffiti of the French student and worker uprising of May 1968, capturing participatory politics in action.
Graffiti itself became a form of freedom.
--Julien Besan�on, The Walls Have the Floor
Fifty years ago, in 1968, barricades were erected in the streets of Paris for the first time since the Paris Commune of nearly one hundred years before. The events of May 1968 began with student protests against the Vietnam War and American imperialism, expanded to rebellion over student living conditions and resistance to capitalist consumerism. An uprising... more
Graffiti itself became a form of freedom.
--Julien Besan�on, The Walls Have the Floor
Fifty years ago, in 1968, barricades were erected in the streets of Paris for the first time since the Paris Commune of nearly one hundred years before. The events of May 1968 began with student protests against the Vietnam War and American imperialism, expanded to rebellion over student living conditions and resistance to capitalist consumerism. An uprising... more
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In cities and towns throughout the world you may see an area of sidewalk decorated with chalk or pastels. This art form originated in Italy during the 16th century, with vagabond artists who painted religious pictures directly on the paved public squares, using chalk and charcoal. Thanks to the International Street Painting Festival in Grazie di Curtatone in Northern Italy, the art form has been revitalized, and festivals such as Absolut Chalk in Pasadena and the Italian Street Painting Festival in San Rafael, CA, attract up to 600 exhibitors and 60,000 visitors annually. Part folk art, part... more
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
71
Tags are designed street names, written in the public domain. They are one of the most despised phenomena since long hair on men. They have burrowed their way into the big cities of the world, working both to annoy and tell stories. Now, they tell the tale of how the biggest and most vital artistic trend of the late 20th century origi- nated among children and youths. Martha Cooper documented New York subway paintings in the book Subway Art (1984). But she most preferred tags, the bastard siblings of the pieces, because of their raw energy. Tags are the blue print and uncouth offspring of... more
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Brooklyn-born Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88) was one of the most important artists of the 1980s. A key figure in the New York art scene, he inventively explored the interplay between words and images throughout his career, first as a member of SAMO, a graffiti group active on the Lower East Side in the late 1970s, and then as a painter acclaimed for his unmistakable Neoexpressionist style. From 1980 to 1987, he filled numerous working notebooks with drawings and handwritten texts. This facsimile edition reproduces the pages of seven of these fascinating and rarely seen notebooks for the first... more
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Graffiti Planet is a collection of work from various artists that celebrates the endless creativity of the medium, and of the artists themselves.
Graffiti or 'street art' has become a significant art form in the last twenty years and, ever controversial, has transformed urban landscapes all over the world.
Featuring 100 glossy photos of groundbreaking graffiti and including an introduction from Ket, a legend on the graffiti scene, Graffiti Planet is a great introduction and the perfect companion for anyone excited by this most vibrant and democratic... more
Graffiti or 'street art' has become a significant art form in the last twenty years and, ever controversial, has transformed urban landscapes all over the world.
Featuring 100 glossy photos of groundbreaking graffiti and including an introduction from Ket, a legend on the graffiti scene, Graffiti Planet is a great introduction and the perfect companion for anyone excited by this most vibrant and democratic... more
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In the graffiti world it's the name that brings the fame, but what about the figural components of this urban typography? Some of the most iconic pieces in the history of graffiti have earned their place in the street art pantheon with the help of masterfully rendered figures that lend additional presence to these works. Mascots & Mugs, brought to you by the publisher of the best-selling sneaker encyclopedia Where'd You Get Those? is the first book to examine figurative elements in graffiti art: It traces the history of key characters from the earliest examples by writers... more
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This title gives voice to an art movement which is often misunderstood. In New York in the 1980s, graffiti moved from the subway trains to large walls, offering an opportunity for greater depth and complexity. Here, the artists themselves discuss this radical means of communication. less
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Create unique protest graphics with the Protest Stencil Toolkit, revised and updated for modern-day activists.
Combine the 42 robust stencils, and the typeface, to create slogans and visual messages.
Includes symbols from a variety of important protest movements. less
Combine the 42 robust stencils, and the typeface, to create slogans and visual messages.
Includes symbols from a variety of important protest movements. less
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Can Kate Morgan stand up for herself—without being labeled a snitch?
Kate is just as confused as her best friend, Lan, when she arrives at Cleary High to find the building's been "tagged" with a life-size graffiti mural. Could the culprit be one of their friends or classmates? And is the kind-of-amazing creation really vandalism, or a work of art? She's tempted to stay out of it—mostly because, as the police chief's daughter, she's worried about being labeled a snitch. But when the same mysterious graffiti starts appearing throughout the state, putting more pressure on the authorities to...
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The books in the How to Draw series are especially designed for artists of all levels, beginner to advanced, who are looking to hone their skills in a specific style of artwork. The books are 6.5in x 8in, hardcover with an internal spiral binding so they lay open flat as readers follow the steps on their own canvas or paper. The books are beautifully illustrated and contain hundreds of colorful pieces of artwork, photographs, and helpful diagrams. Step-by-step instructions help guide artists through the learning process.
How to Draw Graffiti Style will not only... more
How to Draw Graffiti Style will not only... more
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
81
In The Graffiti Coloring Book, sixty of Scandinavia's best graffiti writers have provided the outlines. You choose the colors. The Graffiti Coloring Book is as fun for children as adults. Get out your crayons and walk the path of the kings of graffiti. less
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Start Watercolor Journaling Today!
The simple technique presented in this fun-to-read book will have you drawing and painting quickly. No need to wait until you’ve had hours of training or years of practice to enjoy watercolor journaling. In this book you will learn how to:
Recapture the natural joy of art experienced in early childhood
Create colorful travel journals that will become treasured souvenirs and a delight to share
Overcome the resistance of your inner critic that says you can’t draw or paint
Here’s what people are saying about Anyone Can
Learn... more
The simple technique presented in this fun-to-read book will have you drawing and painting quickly. No need to wait until you’ve had hours of training or years of practice to enjoy watercolor journaling. In this book you will learn how to:
Recapture the natural joy of art experienced in early childhood
Create colorful travel journals that will become treasured souvenirs and a delight to share
Overcome the resistance of your inner critic that says you can’t draw or paint
Here’s what people are saying about Anyone Can
Learn... more
83
In 1980, mysterious chalk drawings of simple outline figures began appearing on unused advertising space in New York City subway stations. Combining the appeal of Disney cartoons with the sophisticated primitivism of such artists as Jean Dubuffet, these underground artworks were bold, humorous, accessible, subversive - and the work of one man - Keith Haring. Over the next decade, Haring went on to create a body of work that would capture the energy and excitement of New York's brash street culture - and transmute punk, new wave, hip-hop, graffiti and break dancing into an instantly... more
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This book is the most extensive contribution to our understanding of the graffiti subculture to date. Using insights from ethnographic research conducted in London and New York, this book explores the varying ways young men use graffiti to construct masculinity, claim power, and establish independence from the institutions which define, and often limit, them as young people. Forging a link between subcultural practice and identity construction, this book will be essential reading for anyone interested in new understandings of youth and their subcultures.
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The title, All City Writers, describes a vast research on the Writing movement, particularly focusing on the process of its exportation from New York to all of Europe during the 80s. A first part of the research analyzes how graffiti in media such as movies, videos, magazines, and books from New York influenced the first European scene, which only took a few years to build up its own connections and styles from Scandinavia to the Southern Countries. International crews, fanzine networks, inter-rail travels are, among others, key-chapters in which writers have become protagonists. The whole... more
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Divided into more than 50 topics and illustrated with more than 500 photographs, this book celebrates the street as a stage for the visual creativity of a generation in cities around the world. less
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The debut book from a celebrated artist on the urgent topic of street harassment
Every day, all over the world, women are catcalled and denigrated simply for walking down the street. Boys will be boys, women have been told for generations, ignore it, shrug it off, take it as a compliment. But the harassment has real consequences for women: in the fear it instills and the shame they are made to feel.
In Stop Telling Women to Smile, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh uses her arresting street art portraits to explore how women experience hostility in communities that are... more
Every day, all over the world, women are catcalled and denigrated simply for walking down the street. Boys will be boys, women have been told for generations, ignore it, shrug it off, take it as a compliment. But the harassment has real consequences for women: in the fear it instills and the shame they are made to feel.
In Stop Telling Women to Smile, Tatyana Fazlalizadeh uses her arresting street art portraits to explore how women experience hostility in communities that are... more
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The latest work from one of America's most prolific and recognizable artists A highly-anticipated new collection of paintings by one of the most influential, prolific, and recognizable artists today, Death and the Eternal Forever explores the belief that all art is the futile attempt to cheat death, and death is the thing that gives all art meaning. This important look at the work of an artist who has been a seminal figure in the culture jamming and street art movements of the last 25 years will be of interest to all designers, painters, illustrators, graffiti and street... more
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*"This striking combination of story and illustration creates a powerful portrait of a budding artist." Publishers Weekly starred review
Raised on a Staten Island commune in the 1980s, Aurora has never attended a day of school, and has seen little of the outside world. What she knows best is drawing. To her, it’s like breathing; it’s how she makes sense of the world. When her father burns down the commune, killing himself in the process, Ror’s life changes. She ends up in Manhattan, where she discovers that the walls, the subways, the bridges are covered with art. Before long, she... more
Raised on a Staten Island commune in the 1980s, Aurora has never attended a day of school, and has seen little of the outside world. What she knows best is drawing. To her, it’s like breathing; it’s how she makes sense of the world. When her father burns down the commune, killing himself in the process, Ror’s life changes. She ends up in Manhattan, where she discovers that the walls, the subways, the bridges are covered with art. Before long, she... more
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Japan has always been a breeding ground for innovative approaches to Western traditions; think cinema and baseball. Another example is graffiti, which covers the buildings and walls of Japan’s largest cities as well its rural areas. While graffiti in Japan shares many of the same characteristics with examples from other parts of the world, distinct cultural aspects of Japan, from Kanji to popular anime characters, set Japanese graffiti apart. Tokyo-based photographer Remo Camerota has captured these culturally unique aspects in Graffiti Japan, and in doing so befriended some of the... more
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.
91
Highlighting both the relevance of Banksy's street art and how his impact has continued to spread, Planet Banksy brings together some of the very best pieces of art from all corners of the world that have been inspired by Banksy, as well as featuring some of his own innovative, profound and controversial work.
Banksy is the world's foremost graffiti artist, his work adorning streets, walls and bridges across nations and continents. His stencil designs are instantly recognizable and disturbingly precise in their social and political commentary, flavoured with subtle humour... more
Banksy is the world's foremost graffiti artist, his work adorning streets, walls and bridges across nations and continents. His stencil designs are instantly recognizable and disturbingly precise in their social and political commentary, flavoured with subtle humour... more
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A collection of essential quotations and other writings from artist and icon Jean-Michel Basquiat
One of the most important artists of the late twentieth century, Jean-Michel Basquiat explored the interplay of words and images throughout his career as a celebrated painter with an instantly recognizable style. In his paintings, notebooks, and interviews, he showed himself to be a powerful and creative writer and speaker as well as image-maker. Basquiat-isms is a collection of essential quotations from this godfather of urban culture. In these brief, compelling, and... more
One of the most important artists of the late twentieth century, Jean-Michel Basquiat explored the interplay of words and images throughout his career as a celebrated painter with an instantly recognizable style. In his paintings, notebooks, and interviews, he showed himself to be a powerful and creative writer and speaker as well as image-maker. Basquiat-isms is a collection of essential quotations from this godfather of urban culture. In these brief, compelling, and... more
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The now global phenomenon of graffiti was first captured in Germany by a professional photographer, Jon Naar, in early 1973. The Faith of Graffiti, the first and most celebrated book about this controversial new art form, reproduced just over forty selections from the hundreds of photographs he took. Now more than one hundred thirty never-before-published pictures from that landmark body of work, together with a selection of key photographs from The Faith of Graffiti, are brought together in a book destined to become a classic in its own right. Presented full-frame, at high resolution, and... more
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Philosopher, music critic, and syndicated columnist Crispin Sartwell has forged a distinctive and fiercely original identity over the years as a cultural commentator. In books about anarchism, art and politics, Native American and African American thought and culture, Eastern spirituality, and American transcendentalism, Sartwell has relentlessly insisted on an ethos rooted in unadorned honesty with oneself and a healthy skepticism of others. This volume of selected popular writings combines music and art criticism with personal memoir about addiction and rebellion, as well as cultural... more
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Rust and Metro live life to the fullest in the small Finnish city of Kotka. The lovers work together by day and write graffiti by night, always staying one step ahead of the law. But their luck runs out after an ambush by rogue security guards causes Rust to fall to his death. Having literally left their marks all over the city, Metro cannot help but be reminded of Rust everywhere she goes, making it impossible for her to move past the tragedy. Heartbroken and alone, she becomes determined to get to the bottom of her partner’s death and to exact revenge on those responsible by using the tool... more
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Aaron Tucker isn't a detective. An aspiring screenwriter, freelance reporter, stay-at-home dad, and expert on consumer electronics, Aaron actually defies all traditional characteristics of a detective. He's 5'4," and weighs less than Robert B. Parker's leather jacket. And he doesn't have any investigative training. But he's funny, down-to-earth, lovable, and resourceful. He has good and loyal friends, like Jeff Mahoney, the huge rental car mechanic who helps him out of tight situations, and Abigail Stein, his sexy wife, who happens to be a successful criminal lawyer, and whose advice comes in... more
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The most comprehensive monograph on the enigmatic French street artist - now updated to include brand-new work
Filled with stunning photography, this extraordinary monograph charts JR's widereaching trajectory and a range of collaborative projects executed across the globe. Created in close collaboration with the artist, it features chapters on each of JR's major bodies of work - from 'Expo2Rue,' which launched his career as a street artist, to 'The Gun Chronicles: A Story of America' published in Time magazine in 2018. A specially commissioned graphic novel by comic artist... more
Filled with stunning photography, this extraordinary monograph charts JR's widereaching trajectory and a range of collaborative projects executed across the globe. Created in close collaboration with the artist, it features chapters on each of JR's major bodies of work - from 'Expo2Rue,' which launched his career as a street artist, to 'The Gun Chronicles: A Story of America' published in Time magazine in 2018. A specially commissioned graphic novel by comic artist... more
98
Chalk, a ubiquitous and versatile implement made from limestone, is much more than a humble tool for jotting impermanent notes. With a wide range of uses in art and design, chalk is quickly becoming a favorite of artists around the world to create impressive works of art.
In The Art of Chalk, noted street painter Tracy Lee Stum takes an inspiring look at the many exciting creative applications for this easily accessible medium. With a historic overview of chalk's origins as an art medium, and how its artistic uses have evolved over the centuries, this book is a wealth of... more
In The Art of Chalk, noted street painter Tracy Lee Stum takes an inspiring look at the many exciting creative applications for this easily accessible medium. With a historic overview of chalk's origins as an art medium, and how its artistic uses have evolved over the centuries, this book is a wealth of... more
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No longer just vandalism, graffiti has become a recognized urban art form and a unique mode of artistic expression. This jaw-dropping new collection includes examples of incredible street art from a bevy of artists, including Rosy, Os Gs most spectacular artists and their work. less
100
Graffiti art. It's bold. It's thrilling. And it can get a girl into serious trouble....
Raised by her single mom (who's always dating the wrong kind of man) in a struggling California neighborhood, Angel Rodriguez is a headstrong, independent young woman who channels her hopes and dreams for the future into her painting. But when her entry for a community mural doesn't rate, she's heartbroken. Even with winning artist Nathan Ramos -- a senior track star and Angel's secret crush -- taking a sudden interest in Angel and her art, she's angry and hurt. She's determined to... more
Raised by her single mom (who's always dating the wrong kind of man) in a struggling California neighborhood, Angel Rodriguez is a headstrong, independent young woman who channels her hopes and dreams for the future into her painting. But when her entry for a community mural doesn't rate, she's heartbroken. Even with winning artist Nathan Ramos -- a senior track star and Angel's secret crush -- taking a sudden interest in Angel and her art, she's angry and hurt. She's determined to... more
Don't have time to read the top Graffiti books of all time? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.