New Delhi, Aug 16 Street art is no longer just about spray-painting bus stops and street corners these days. Christie's takes a look at how works by pioneers such as Haring, Stik, Banksy and KAWS are finding their way into the homes, and presents a collecting guide for those who appreciate the art form.
The 21st century has seen an urban liberation of art media, pushing through the conventional parameters of paper, cardboard and canvas replaced with pavement, sidewalks, subways and the bricks of buildings. As the personification of movement, freedom and spontaneity, art inspired by graffiti has taken centre stage, both literally in scale and visibility and in its burgeoning popularity.
Since the hip-hop crews of Philadelphia and New York turned graffiti into an elaborate language, encrypted in a range of unique styles, Street art has become an established art form. While its very public presence may scream manifesto, perhaps with subversive intent, it nonetheless promotes a sense of uncompromising, radical ethos that consistently attracts clusters of fervent supporters throughout the world.
Works by the likes of Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Banksy, Invader and Stik, to name but a few, are now in high demand. Since Shepard Fairey's iconic 'Hope' poster from 2008 and the groundbreaking show on the international history of graffiti and Street art at MoCA in 2011, Street Art's popularity has soared. In 2019 Christie's sold prints by Stik and Banksy - including Girl with Balloon, above - that set new world records for the artists at auction.
Trespassing
( With inputs from IANS )