Graffiti Art

Graffiti Art, art inspired by urban graffiti. Interest in graffiti art emerged in the 1970s in New York, when artists and critics began to see graffiti as a direct and genuine expression of urban culture, free from the manipulation of the art market. Leading graffiti artists were Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. Although its direct inspiration was everyday graffiti, graffiti art also drew upon surrealism and the art brut (“raw art”) of French artist Jean Dubuffet. Graffiti art declined rapidly during the 1980s when it was absorbed by commercial art and the New York art market.