The spraycan painting displayed with such exuberance in these pages derives directly from the graffiti-based "writing" on the sides of New York's subway trains. With its bold calligraphy and brilliant coloring, the style soon emerged from the subway on to walls, handball courts, and other surfaces, and ultimately into the galleries of art dealers and collectors. The Hip Hop explosion of the early eighties helped to spread the technique worldwide, and it has become a part of mainstream art.

Henry Chalfant and James Prigoff have documented the evolution of spraycan art from its very beginnings, photographing the artists in action as well as their finished works, and recording their intriguing comments. This selection of spectacular photographs and thought-provoking quotes-from more than twenty cities scattered across three continents-will be widely appreciated for its social and cultural significance as well as for its striking visual appeal.

ISBN 978-0-500-27469-9 · 8¹/₄" x 10³/₄" 224 color illustrations · 96 pages · ART / DESIGN