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by Diego López Giménez (Author)
A visually rich book that offers a varied and diverse selection of 85 of the best graffiti artists, urban artists and muralists in the world today, showcasing a selection of their work and sharing their passions, dreams, challenges and the difficulties of being a street artist.
Street Art & Graffiti Atlas offers a selection that hints at the wealth of street talent in the world today and is an excellent starting point for exploring the personal stories and creations of artists who decided to turn the city streets into their personal canvas. A varied and diverse selection of 86 of the best graffiti artists, urban artists and muralists from 26 countries around the world, including several texts from the famous Darryl "Cornbread" McCray, considered the world's first modern graffiti artist.
Urban art, muralism and graffiti reflect the dynamic pulse of a city, breaking the monotony and grayness of the cement and altering our vision of an urban environment. Human beings have always felt the need to express themselves on the walls of their communities, from cave paintings to the inscriptions on the walls of ancient Roman and Greek cities, to the current walls of virtual networks. The artists featured in the book were chosen for their unmistakable style, meteoric evolution, and innovative character and genius that uniquely define their work. In addition to images of their creations from cities across the world, from Amsterdam to Montreal, Buenos Aires and Barcelona, to name just a few, the book includes texts that share the passions, dreams, challenges and difficulties of these artists who have transformed their cities into open-air museums.
Author Biography
Darryl McCray, better known by his tagging name "Cornbread", is widely considered the world's first modern graffiti artist. Born in Philadelphia in 1953 and raised in Brewerytown, he and a group of friends started "tagging" the city around 1965, writing their nicknames on walls and developing a distinct, non-gang related style. The movement spread to New York and gave rise to the modern graffiti movement, which reached its pinnacle in the U.S. in the 1980s and then spread to Europe, but it all started with Cornbread in Philadelphia. His first big project was "Cornbread Loves Cynthia", a declaration of love for a girl in his class at Strawberry Mansion Junior High School, which he tagged everywhere along their route home. This would later become the inspiration for the world-famous mural series "Love Letters" that adorns 50 rooftops and walls across West Philadelphia. In 2007, documentary filmmaker Sean McKnight made a film called Cry of the City Part 1: The Legend of Cornbread. In August 2013, McCray was honored at the Graffiti Hall of Fame in East Harlem for his contribution to hip-hop culture. His work is included in the seminal exhibition "Beyond The Streets" curated by graffiti historian Roger Gastman. Among his most spectacular graffiti feats are tagging a touring jet carrying the Jackson 5 after it landed in Philadelphia and sneaking into the Philadelphia Zoo to tag an elephant, an act later "borrowed" by world famous street and conceptual artist Banksy. Since his tagging days, McCray has developed a close relationship with The Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, using his platform and fame to advocate for young, local Philadelphia artists who share his passion for art.
