Graffiti is writing or drawings that have been scribbled, scratched, or painted illicitly on a wall or other surface, often within public view. The word graffiti, or its singular form “graffito”, come from the Italian word graffiato which means “scratched”. While the practice of creating graffiti has existed since ancient times, it comes to the forefront as a modern art movement in the second half of the 20th century. Darryl McCray, known for his tagging name Cornbread, began writing on Philadelphia’s walls in the late 1960s. The movement spread to New York City and blossomed into the modern graffiti movement, which reached its peak in the U.S. in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and then spread to Europe. Cornbread is widely regarded as the father of modern-day graffiti. Today graffiti art is hugely popular, and some of the best-known artists in the world are street artists. Still, authorities consider graffiti vandalism, and many graffiti artists choose anonymity to prevent arrest. Here are the 10 most famous graffiti artists and pictures of their best-known works.
#10 LEE QUIÑONES
Nationality: Puerto Rican
Born: 1964
The New York City Subway graffiti movement in the 1970s and 1980s had a massive local, countrywide and international impact on graffiti being recognized as an art form. George Lee Quinones was one of the innovators of New York’s street-art movement and is considered by many to be the single most influential graffiti artist to emerge from that era. He began painting graffiti on subway trains in 1974 and attained legendary status in this new field within a few years. Quinones often left poetic messages in his art pieces like “Graffiti is an art and if art is a crime, please God, forgive me”. He created some of the most admired graffiti pieces at the time, but unfortunately, much of his finest work is lost forever. Quinones was one of the first artists to move from graffiti to canvas-based paintings. Today he is a well-established artist with his paintings housed at permanent collections of museums.
#9 BLU
Nationality: Italian
Blu is the pseudonym of an Italian graffiti artist who conceals his real identity. He became famous in 1999 by painting a series of illicit graffiti in the historical center and suburbs of Bologna in Italy. After initially using spray paint, the traditional graffiti medium, Blu developed his characteristic style of using house paint, allowing him to paint more enormous murals and give a more vigorous intensity to his works. Blu stands against the modern tendency to keep art elitist, unreachable, and expensive. He is known for works that convey an important political or social message, like his murals against globalization and capitalism and for protecting human rights. Blu is one of the most active graffiti artists, and his massive murals can be seen worldwide.
#8 SEEN UA
Nationality: American
Born: 1961
Richard “Richie” Mirando, known as Seen UA, first started to paint on New York City Subway system in 1973, at 12. Along with his crew, United Artists (UA), Seen quickly gained a reputation for producing full-color throw-ups on whole cars. He was one of the most renowned graffiti artists when graffiti as art was still in its infancy. Seen is best known for his illustrations featuring comic heroes and television cartoons. His work has been published in many acclaimed books, including Subway Art by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant; and American Graffiti by Margo Thompson. Seen is one of the most famous graffiti artists in the world, and for his contribution to the movement, he is often referred to as the Godfather of Graffiti.
#7 LADY PINK
Nationality: Ecuadorian
Born: 1964
Lady Pink is the tag name of Sandra Fabara, who was born in Ambato, Ecuador; migrated to U.S. when she was seven and was raised in New York City. She began her graffiti career at 15 by painting subway trains. Fabara has focused her career on empowering women. She uses graffiti and murals to fight for equality, justice, and women’s rights. She is also a well-known canvas-based artist, and her paintings are included in important collections. Lady Pink was one of the first women to get involved in the graffiti culture; hence, she is known as the “first lady of graffiti”. She is now a graffiti legend and has inspired many women to join the field. Fabara is also dedicated to the community and mentoring teens. She visits many schools to teach painting to young artists.
#6 VHILS
Nationality: Portuguese
Born: 1987
Vhils is the pseudonym of Portuguese graffiti artist Alexandre Manuel Dias Farto. Farto moved on to graffiti at the mere age of 10. At the age of 13, he began to graffiti the suburban train lines of Lisbon. He then expanded to train lines outside of Lisbon, beyond Portugal, and finally across all of Europe. Vhils not only uses paint and other common street art materials to create graffiti but also uses chisels, hammers, drills, etching acid, bleach, and other tools to carve his images out of the walls. He is most known for relief portraits which are carved on walls and created by a method involving drilling and controlled explosions, among other things. He usually depicts ordinary, everyday citizens. This is young compared to other big names in street art, but he is already regarded as one of the world’s most skilled and innovative graffiti artists. His works are described as poetic, complex, and ambitious.
#5 OS GEMEOS
Nationality: Brazilian
Born: 1974
This is a collaborative art duo of twins Otavio Pandolfo and Gustavo Pandolfo. Os Gemeos is a Portuguese word meaning “the twins”. Located in São Paulo, Brazil, the duo started their career in 1987 with spray-painting graffiti. They gradually became a significant influence on the local art scene and then went on to help define the graffiti style of Brazil. Today they are renowned internationally with their work appearing on streets and in galleries worldwide. Os Gemeos was initially influenced by American hip-hop culture, but with time they put Brazilian cultural elements into their graffiti. Their work includes detailed murals, family portraits, commentary on Sao Paulo’s social and political circumstances, and Brazilian folklore. It stands out for its dream-like aesthetics.
#4 BLEK LE RAT
Nationality: French
Born: 1952
Xavier Prou began his artistic career in 1981 by painting stencils of rats. His pseudonym Blek le Rat is taken from the cartoon “Blek le Roc” with rat being an anagram for “art”. He considered rats symbolic of freedom and the spread of the street art movement. Blek le Rat was the first to use pre-stenciled posters and images to create graffiti. This allowed him to apply the paint quickly as he didn’t want to stay too long on the street because he feared being caught. This later became a prevalent technique among street artists; hence, Blek le Rat is known as the “father of stencil graffiti”. With a career spanning more than three and a half decades, Blek le Rat is one of the world’s most influential and revered graffiti artists. He has inspired a generation of artists, including Banksy, who said, “every time I think I’ve painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek le Rat has done it as well, only twenty years earlier.”
#3 EDUARDO KOBRA
Nationality: Brazilian
Born: 1976
Born in a low-income neighborhood in São Paulo, Eduardo Kobra discovered his passion for street art in his teens and rose to prominence in the 1990s. He is best known for his massive-scale, brightly colored murals infused with bold lines. Kobra employs geometric shapes in colorful backgrounds, embroiled shading, and swirling effects to achieve a photo-realistic impact on his works. He also produces three-dimensional results. His most famous works include portraits of iconic figures in history. He also uses his street art to make statements against pollution, global warming, the destruction of forests, and war. Before the 2016 Rio Olympics, Kobra created an almost 3,000-square meters mural at the Olympic Boulevard which received a certificate from the Guinness World Records Book for the world’s largest graffiti art. Eduardo Kobra is the leading Brazilian graffiti artist and, along with Banksy and David Choe, one of the most famous graffiti artists in the world.
#2 DAVID CHOE
Nationality: American
Born: 1976
Born to Korean immigrants in the U.S., David Choe began his graffiti career in Los Angeles. A creative rebel, Choe is known for his bold and raw images; and he calls his style dirty. He often portrays explicit scenes of sexual nature; and explores the themes of desire, degradation, and exaltation in many of his works. In 2005, Choe was asked to paint murals in the interior of Facebook’s first Silicon Valley office by Sean Parker, his fan and the first president of the social networking website. He painted graphic, explicit, and sexual murals, and just two years later, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg asked him to paint somewhat tamer murals for their next office. Choe, a habitual gambler, chose to receive company stock instead of cash payment for the original Facebook murals. The value of his shares rose to around $200 million by 2012.
#1 BANKSY
Nationality: English
Born: 1974
Banksy is an anonymous graffiti artist, and much speculation remains about his identity and biographical details due to his massive popularity. He began his career in the 1990s in the Bristol underground scene, which also saw the rise of other well-known figures, including Robert Del Naja, founding member of the band Massive Attack. Banksy’s political and social commentary works have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities worldwide. He has created some of the best-known graffiti, including Flower Thrower, The Mild Mild West, and Balloon Girl. Balloon Girl was ranked as the favorite artwork in the United Kingdom in a 2017 Samsung poll. The popularity of Banksy has led to the recognition of many other influential artists in the field of graffiti art. He was awarded the Person of the Year at the 2014 Webby Awards. Banksy is the most famous graffiti artist, and he has, without a doubt, made the most significant contribution in making street art popular.
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