The years 1971 to 1984 were the heyday of subway graffiti in New York. Three writers are today considered the kings of graffiti around the world: BLADE, LEE and SEEN. SEEN, real name Richard Mirando, even earned the nickname Godfather of Graffiti in Europe following his prominent role in the documentary "Style Wars".
SEEN remains a model for many graffiti artists today. He painted his first work in 1973, while he was with his brother. Around 200 Wholecars followed and countless murals on New York's subways. SEEN discusses his appearance in the documentary "Style Wars" and gives an overview of his studio in Los Angeles, where he lives and works today.
Blek Le Rat (born 1951, real name Xavier Prou) is a street artist in activity since the early 1980s. He has added a French Touch to the New York style. Its trademark is the use of stencils, and its emblem, the rat. The Frenchman's work has influenced many artists around the world, including Banksy.
Copenhagen has played a decisive role in the history of graffiti in Europe. Artists such as BATES, RENS or even SEK have inspired entire generations with their round, dynamic style influenced by comics. FREEZ debuted in 1984. Denmark's first graffiti king tells how it all started.
In 1984, inspired by the films "Wild Styles" and "Style Wars", artists such as BATES, SEK, RENS, SMP or even SWET began to take an interest in graffiti in the tradition of FEEZ. The strangest thing about this generation is that these old kids still graffiti today, almost 50 years old.
From 1986, Copenhagen's graffiti scene began to open up and connect internationally. For a few years, the aggressive Dutch style served as a source of inspiration and transition. In 1989, the first magazine dedicated to graffiti was born, and gave rise to intense exchanges within the large community of writers of this small country.
Cult films like Charlie Ahearn’s ‘Wild Style (1982), Henry Chalfant’s ‘Style Wars’ (1984) and ‘Beat Street (1984) by Harry Belafonte switched on a generation of young Germans to breakdance and hip-hop culture. Interviews with the first graffiti generation from Dortmund, Berlin and Frankfurt.
The BBC crew around Jay One, Skki and Ash is one of the most influential pioneers in French graffiti. They were some of the first artists in Europe to develop their own style and break free from New York influence.
The graffiti movement from New York spread throughout Scandinavia after the release of Henry Chalfant's film Style Wars (1984). Throughout the whole of Sweden, hundreds of kids begin to write on the walls. Among them, ZIGGY and DISEY, who developed their own elaborate styles.
Darco and Gawki got to know FBI-Crew in 1985 in Paris. They become an integral part of the Paris graffiti movement with a style typical of that city. Paris was the center of the European scene, but graffiti artists in Munich, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Copenhagen were also developing their own takes on the trend.
Graffiti writer Bomber from Frankfurt and Shark from Dortmund are cornerstones of the German scene. Dortmund became a graffiti icon in the Ruhr area in the mid-1980s and was the catalyst for important developments in other large cities... much to the displeasure of residents.
Graffiti came to Berlin in the early 1980s. The first pieces were created directly on the Berlin Wall. But it was only with the fall of the wall did the whole city become a huge playground for graffiti artists.
