Born in the Streets – Graffiti

Published on the occasion of the exhibition Born in the Streets—Graffiti presented in 2009 at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, the catalog revisits the birth of graffiti, analyzes its codes and techniques, and presents the movement’s major figures, focusing on the artists who contributed to its explosion, its diffusion, and its recognition by the contemporary art world.
The book includes photographs by Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant, John Naar, and many previously unpublished images. Presenting works by artists participating in the exhibition (Basco Vazko, Cripta, JonOne, Olivier Kosta-Théfaine, Barry McGee, Nug, Evan Roth, Boris Tellegen, Vitché, and Gérard Zlotykamien) as well as photographs they took in their own city, it also provides a panorama of graffiti in cities like New York, Paris, Hong Kong, and São Paulo. An introduction by Richard Goldstein and several interviews with the pioneers of graffiti will shed new light on this artistic movement and the major stages of its evolution.