Graffiti increased in the '70s after a New York Times article on TAKI183.
Graffiti is the painting, scribbling or drawing of words in a public place such as on a wall, light pole or subway train. Graffiti is an art form that some artists use to market their name or use for political statements. There is a fine line between art and vandalism, as most graffiti is done to other people's property without their permission. The illegal nature of this art keeps it underground and only the most prominent artists are known.
Dondi White 1961-1998
Dondi White, a New York graffiti artist, was known for his colorful graphic paintings on New York City's subways trains. As the York City MTA cleaned up his graffiti, White was one of the first to move above ground. He also started hitting his work on canvas and exhibiting in art galleries including galleries in the Netherlands and Germany.
TAKI 183
TAKI 183 worked as a messenger in New York City and would write his name in places such as light poles and walls along the streets that he delivered messages. His tag name" TAKI183" is from the Greek spelling of his first name Demetrius and 183 is from his home address, 183rd Street. The New York Times wrote an article about him in 1971, which helped courageous graffiti artists and also created competition in the city. Hundreds of youths and others who develop their own tag became well known in communities along with becoming part of their culture. Without the NYT media recognition, graffiti might not exist today. TAKI183 moved on to owning a car repair business and settled down with a wife and child.
Zephyr Witten
Andrew Zephyr Witten was one of the first graffiti artists to move to the galleries of commercial work and collectors. Zephyr is Greek for west and is representative of Witten's home on the West End Avenue in New York. He is known as one of the elders of graffiti artists, inventing some of the rules and styles along with TAKI 183. Zephyr was also one of the first to move to a commercial setting such as a gallery and selling collections of his work.
Cope2
Fernando Carlo is another graffiti artist from New York and although he started competing in the late '70s, he would not become well known until the '90s. He has gained international recognition and has worked for companies such as Adidas as well Time Magazine. He did the artwork for the movie on graffiti "Bomb the System" and designed the artwork for "Chuck Taylor's All-Stars" Converse sneakers.
