1970S / GRAFFITI / TODAY
DENIZ AKKAYA
On view at Phillips New York, 13 January-20 February 20222…
1970S / GRAFFITI / TODAY is an important and exciting exhibition spanning over fifty years of graffiti, curated by Arnold Lehman, with Elizabeth Wallace. The exhibition opens on 13 January 2022, running through 20 February, in Phillips’ New York headquarters at 432 Park Avenue. GRAFFITI includes works by a broad cross section of those who forged the graffiti centers of New York and Los Angeles. Comprising about 150 works consigned by artists, galleries and private collectors, the exhibition represents both the long history and broad scope of graffiti. GRAFFITI also includes major loans from the Sidney Janis collection at the Brooklyn Museum.
“Graffiti is the only artform with which every single American has firsthand experience. It elicits a response in people from all backgrounds, ranging across a spectrum from reverence to outrage. 1970S / GRAFFITI / TODAY aims to turn the page, shifting the paradigm, as we embrace graffiti’s contributions to 20th and 21st century contemporary art. It is important to elevate this cultural phenomenon and recognize all the great artists who participated in its development, including Jean-Michel Basquiat, Chaz Bojórquez, CRASH, Al Díaz, EKLIPS, Fab 5 Freddy, FUTURA, HAZE, KAWS, KRUSH, Lady Pink, Mister Cartoon, Lee Quiñones, and so many others. The exhibition will be celebrating some of these works in New York, a city that has played such a significant role in graffiti’s history,” said the curator Arnold Lehman.
