Street Art has existed in various forms since the dawn of mankind – think of the cave paintings of the late Paleolithic, the rock art of ancient Egypt, or the numerous examples of graffiti documented in archaeological sites of ancient Rome. In the 1960s, graffiti became very popular in New York, where it was used as a form of political expression and social commentary. By the early 1980s, street art had established itself as a conceptual art movement, and its major players were exhibited in prominent New York galleries.
More recently, Banksy and his protégé Mr. Brainwash have dominated the headlines and public consciousness, working to continue the legacy of the original street artists in increasingly bold and imaginative ways.
Street art, or often called urban art, is non-conformist and full of imagination. Street art surprises in the most unusual places, lights up the walls of buildings and brings the gray monotony of big cities like Berlin or New York to life: street art has revolutionized the art scene. It transforms arbitrary objects in urban space into serious art and has long been considered one of the most vibrant art forms of our time. Originally sprayed with graffiti on streets and subway cars, stencil art has thrilled collectors the world over, not least since Banksy’s phenomenal success. One who can be called the forefather of street art is, incidentally, Keith Haring, who first discovered the street as a painting ground with his Subway Drawings in the 1980s. The Frenchman Blek Le Rat is considered the founder of the street art scene in Europe.
Street Art is in the original meaning actually only the art that takes place exclusively outside on the street. If these works of art, mostly graffiti or spray works are transferred to the gallery or the living room, one actually speaks of urban art.
The 21st century has witnessed an urban liberation of art media, moving beyond the conventional parameters of paper, cardboard and canvas to sidewalks, walkways, subways and the bricks of buildings. As an embodiment of movement, freedom, and spontaneity, graffiti-inspired art has taken center stage, both literally in scale and visibility and in its burgeoning popularity.
Works by street artists such as Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Banksy, Invader and Stik, to name a few, are in high demand today. Since Shepard Fairey’s iconic “Hope” poster in 2008 and the groundbreaking exhibition on the international history of graffiti and street art at the MoCA Museum in Los Angeles in 2011 titled “Art in the Streets,” the popularity of street art has skyrocketed. The street art exhibition was curated by MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch and Associate Curators Roger Gastman and Aaron Rose. It traced the evolution of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the global movement it has become today, focusing on key cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London and Sao Paulo, where a unique visual language or attitude has developed. The exhibition featured paintings, mixed-media sculptures and interactive installations by 50 of the most dynamic artists.
To date, the most expensive street art piece is a 1982 painting created on canvas called “untitled” by Jean-Michel Basquiat, which sold for more than $110 million at Sotheby’s in New York in 2017. Street art has perhaps the greatest investment potential than any other genre in today’s art market. Works by major players continue to increase in value year after year, and we see auction results consistently outperforming and setting new records. Important collectors, such as the Mugrabi family in New York, still buy a great many works of art, especially by Kenny Scharf or Basquiat.
At the international FRANK FLUEGEL GALERIE you will find selected unique works and prints by renowned streetart artists such as Alec Monopoly, Kenny Scharf, BAMBI Street Artist, FRINGE, Mr. Brainwash, Richard Orlinski, Takashi Murakami and XOOOOX. Our focus is on original graphics, works on paper and canvas as well as sculptures. As befits Street Art, many artworks are applied to found objects and objects made of wood, metal or stone. As the first gallery in Germany, we have Mr. Brainwash in our program since 2011. The street artist became known with the movie “Exit Through the Gift Shop” and is one of the most dazzling figures of the scene since his furious first exhibition in Los Angeles. Especially since the British artist Banksy with his Girl with Balloon celebrates successes all over the world and Streetart constantly breaks new records at auctions, Streetart is in the focus of international collectors.
Street Art is actually always characterized by the lush use of spray paint and of course stencils. On the street, the actual origin of graffiti and Streetart, the attachment of artwork is still illegal. Therefore, it must go quickly for the artists. Stencils and sprays are ideal for this. The stencil thus became the feature of Street-Art because it is the most commonly used technique of graffiti art. For the galleries, this technique is usually transferred as mixed media unique pieces on transportable substrates such as paper, wood or corten steel.
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