Graffiti used to have a negative connotation to it, but it actually is art. From Banksy to Sever to Lady Pink, there are world-renowned street artists who have left their stamp on the world. Cities such as New York, Melbourne and Moscow boast some of the most extravagant street art murals. It has become a cultural phenomenon and here are our favorites.

2. graffiti artists

3. Among the first well-known
female graffiti artists in the world,
Lady Pink started her career in the
late ‘70s when her boyfriend was
arrested. She saturated New York
City graffiti-style with his name.
She made it a point to climb
fences and put her mark on train
tunnels. Lady Pink, also known as
Sandra Fabara, had one of the
first ever graffiti art shows. She
now gives back to the community
with breathtaking murals and
hosts mural workshops for kids.
Lady pink

4. Banksy
An international figure in street
art, Banksy thrives on crafting
controversial graffiti. He reaches
beyond his British background to
shed light on topics linked to social
responsibility and politics around the
world. Banksy keeps his true identity
a secret, but also paints and directs
films when he’s not expressing himself
through street art.

5. Sever
With roots in Los Angeles and Atlanta,
Sever is well-known throughout the
world as an extraordinary creator of
street art. His graffiti is colorful and
distinct. His most famous work of art
is “Death of Street Art,” a mural on a
Detroit building that created a fair
amount of controversy regarding street
art and its acceptance as mainstream.

6. Dondi White
Donald White is known as just
plain “Dondi” in the art world. One
of his most famous works was
called “Children of the Grave.” The
native New Yorker’s train graffiti
took street art to another level.
He later displayed his artwork
in Europe and was a pioneer
in driving street art closer to
mainstream art. Dondi formed his
own graffiti artist group, Crazy
Inside Artists, in 1978. He passed
away in 1998.

7. espo
With a long rap sheet compliments of the
New York City transit police vandal squad,
Steve “ESPO” Powers got an early start as
a graffiti artist, leaving his mark on grated
storefronts. His talent was later rewarded with
a Fulbright grant, which he used to connect
with artistically creative kids in Ireland.
Keith Haring
Another New York street artist of the ‘80s, Keith
Haring is the name behind “The Radiant Baby”
symbol. A Pennsylvania native born in 1958, he
was a commercial artist before taking the street
culture graffiti scene by storm. Haring later
became known as a peace-loving social activist.
He died in 1990.

8. ket
Alain Mariduena’s claim to fame was once
decorating New York City subway trains with graffiti
– and not the stenciled kind. In the ‘80s, he was
better known as Ket. Now a big name in fashion and
publishing, he still dabbles in mural art.
retna
As the creator of his own alphabet script, Marquis
“Retna” Lewis is a Los Angeles street artist. He has
made the leap from street art to fashion artwork
and commissioned pieces, although he still creates
murals on storefronts upon request.

9. david choe
Murals and graffiti gave David Choe an early start in
art. The California resident is also known as a graphic
designer and artist for films and musical album
covers. Born in 1976, he began painting street art in
Los Angeles in his teens. In more recent years, he has
been commissioned to create murals and portraits.
Shepard Fairey
Born in 1970, this native of South Carolina is well
known for his graffiti, stencils, poster pieces
and graphic art, as well as his works with fellow
street artist Banksy. Fairey’s works can be seen
in New York’s Museum of Modern Art and at The
Smithsonian Institute.

10. NYC Artwork
“Crack is Wack!” was created
by world-renown graffiti artist
Keith Haring in 1986. This
double-sided mural was painted
on a Harlem handball court wall
in New York. It still exists today.

11. The Graffiti Hall of Fame
Located on Harlem’s Park Avenue
at 106th Street, this venue for new
graffiti with classic lineage pays
tribute to early street art with a
modern urban twist. It was created
in 1980 to showcase the work of local
and international graffiti artists.

12. Welling Court Mural Project
Welling Court in the Astoria
district of Queens, New York, is
the location of a crowd-funded
annual street art extravaganza.
This urban art venue is the
perfect setting for works by Lady
Pink, Swoon and other cutting-edge
mural and graffiti artists.

13. Best Cities

14. Melbourne
Australia
“The Whole of Everything” is among the works
that make Melbourne a standout among the best
cities for street art. The subculture in this capital
of Victoria was originally inspired by New York
City subway graffiti, but now holds its own as the
place to be for stencil artists.
Mexico City
mexico
Made famous by its graffiti painting contest
in 2010, Mexico City has long been a favorite
venue for street artists to show off their
talents and make their social statements.
Murals in Mexico’s safe zones are becoming
larger and more common.

15. Cape Town
South Africa
Street artists have taken vehicle art, murals
and streetscapes to a whole new level in Cape
Town. Among the most famous is the 2013 mural
of international political icon Nelson Mandela,
created by Mak1One.
Bristol
United Kingdom
From bright and bold colors to black-and-white paste-ups,
street art is growing in popularity in Bristol. While
the authorities aren’t wild about it, graffiti tags are
showing up on buildings throughout the area. Closely
associated with street artist Banksy, Bristol’s other claim
to fame is one of the largest works of street art ever to
be assembled. “See No Evil” stretches across several
buildings and has enjoyed contributions from a multitude
of graffiti artists from all over the world.

16. Moscow
russia
Traditionally known as a home for illegal street
art, Moscow has graduated to one of the most
famous cities in the world that allows graffiti
art, but only in specific places. Among the most
famous Russian street artists was Pasha P183, a
man who passed away in April of 2013.
Santiago
chile
Graffiti art is becoming an accepted part
of this South American city as locals cover
building walls with murals. Some pieces are
even listed as things for tourists to see and
visit while they’re in town.

17. chalk art

18. The introduction of chalk art into street
culture has blossomed. Artists use pre-sketched
images and favorite paintings to
turn these works of art into larger pieces
made of chalk. A good rain will wash it
away, but for a while, it lasts.
chalk art

19. chalk art
Chalk art dates back to the 16th century, when Italian artists sat in the
street and paid homage to the Madonna with pastels and chalk drawings
on the ground. The practice of chalk drawings on the street flourished
until the 1940s. It was revived in the early 1970s with street chalk art
festivals, expanding from pavement to buildings and walls. Some cities
that revel in chalk art festivals today include Curtatone, Italy; Monterrey,
Mexico; Okeechobee and Lake Worth, Fla.; Santa Barbara, Calif.; Denver,
Colo.; Perry, New York; and Willhemshaven and Gelberg, Germany

20. street art in museums
Once a genre that was saved for gangs and urban letters in the ‘70s and
‘80s, street art has become accepted by many as an edgy means self-expression.
It slowly became a forum for commissioned pieces in and
on office buildings throughout the world in the ‘90s and ‘00s. Street art
has now made its way into museums. The Museum of the City of New
York, for example, has exhibited works of Lady Pink and Keith Haring.
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and The Street Museum
of Art in Brooklyn have also committed vast open spaces to showcase
modern street art by an assortment of graffiti artists.

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