Street Art : mode d'emploi

by Jerome Catz, Elisabeth Couturier (Directeur de la collection)

From the OBEY Giant posters to Banksy’s stencils and from iconic bubble letter tags to mosaic space invaders, street art is omnipresent. Graffiti and street art have long been part of our visual culture, from their origins in ancestral caves to New York City’s subway walls. This book covers all aspects of an art form that is often underappreciated, ephemeral, and illegal. The diverse media and techniques employed are ever-evolving, and include graffiti, stencils, tags and lettering, interventions, urban sculptures, collage, distortions, and even new multimedia. The artist’s engagement and state of mind are important components of street art; the book covers topics such as anonymity, the art form’s dangerous nature, codes of conduct, and ideological engagement, as well as the interface of street art with contemporary art, pop surrealism, toy art, and music and sport. Street art is found on every continent, and the book gives focus to each country and its own modes of expression and specificities. Portraits of 30 key artists, a glossary, and an address book of important venues around the world complete the book.

Genres: Art

255 pages, Paperback

First published May 25, 2013

Reviews

[LayDownYourSoul · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I exist, I am physically here, I am showing it, and I am free to say what I think"
Really inspiring for an ex teenage graffiti 'artist' and current art-blocked graffiti enthusiast. Amazingly well written, clearly an expert and passionate about the subject matter. So many new bookmarks and open tabs after reading, will be sure to be exploring these new artists and references for a long time.
The selection of pieces to showcase was great and the many photographs throughout were a joy to look at. Will be sure to come back to this for inspiration and to look up history and artists.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good selection of artists and good discussion of the genre.

[Anabel Salomone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ne connaissant presque rien sur le street art, ce livre m'a apporté les premiers info, et j'ai beaucoup apprécié. Néanmoins, on voit bien que c'est un ouvrage pour les gens comme moi, qui ne connaissent rien sur le sujet. L'auteur nous donne quelques petits infos mais ne fait pas d'analyse, donc on voit bien que ce n'est pas le travail d'un historien de l'art, sinon plutôt d'un amateur qui connait beaucoup sur le sujet (il a un centre d'art dédié au street art).

Je le recommande pour tous ceux qui veulent s'initier à cette forme d'art assez peu divulguée.