Michael Kirby (artist)
Encyclopedia
Michael Kirby is a street art
ist who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
. His work has been featured and exhibited across the world for governments, cities, museums, and corporations.
and learned the techniques of fresco painting. Here he also discovered the art of street painting
or ephemeral murals. He began to create ephemeral pieces in Florence
. After a while he began to do more original work on the pavement in larger scales and began to be noticed by more than just tourists of Florence and picked up many jobs as a muralist. Kirby moved to Rome
and worked in a studio for 4 years working across Europe creating murals and street paintings.
As a street painter, Kirby has won various competitions and been featured in numerous festivals and galleries across the world. The LA Times wrote that "Michael Kirby is one of the best street painters in the world." He has worked in more cities than any other artist in the world. He has worked in over 200 cities including Rome, Paris
, London
, Berlin
, New York
, Mexico City
, Guadalajara
, San Francisco, Caracas
, and Cartagena
. He is contracted by the corporations and museums.
After working and studying in Europe as a muralist, Kirby wanted to learn more modern mural techniques and moved to Mexico
. Here he started working as an apprentice for various mural masters. During these studies he was commissioned to do various murals for private and public buildings and eventually he started his own studio in Guadalajara.
In the 2002, Kirby returned to the city of his birth to create a new studio using the techniques he has learned abroad. His latest studio is called "Murals of Baltimore" which is a company that creates frescos, keim murals, marouflage
, mosaics, street paintings, and other forms of public art
.
, Werowocomoco
, in Gloucester, Virginia for the 400 Anniversary Celebration.
Kirby has been contracted by McDonald's
Corp., The Black Eyed Peas
, Earthlink
, Honda Civic
Tour, Johns Hopkins University
, and other corporations for 3 dimensional street paintings. He has also created murals for CSX Transportation
, City of Baltimore, City of Guadalajara, Chiesa San Paolo in Napoli, Italy, Smithsonian Institute, and others. As well as giving lectures in Johns Hopkins University, North Carolina Museum of Art
, and others.
and his work has been on Culpo Di Fulmine Show in Italy and German Public Television documentary on Koln
. His work has been featured on various television outlets such as ABC
, Fox
, and NBC
.
Various newspapers and magazines have also written articles about his work such as LA Times, Baltimore Sun, Mural Guadalajara, Il Tempo Roma, Venezia Gazzetta and Il Publico.
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
ist who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His work has been featured and exhibited across the world for governments, cities, museums, and corporations.
Biography
At the age of nineteen Kirby went to study in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and learned the techniques of fresco painting. Here he also discovered the art of street painting
Street art
Street art is any art developed in public spaces — that is, "in the streets" — though the term usually refers to unsanctioned art, as opposed to government sponsored initiatives...
or ephemeral murals. He began to create ephemeral pieces in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. After a while he began to do more original work on the pavement in larger scales and began to be noticed by more than just tourists of Florence and picked up many jobs as a muralist. Kirby moved to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and worked in a studio for 4 years working across Europe creating murals and street paintings.
As a street painter, Kirby has won various competitions and been featured in numerous festivals and galleries across the world. The LA Times wrote that "Michael Kirby is one of the best street painters in the world." He has worked in more cities than any other artist in the world. He has worked in over 200 cities including Rome, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Guadalajara is the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of Jalisco in the western-pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,564,514 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, San Francisco, Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, and Cartagena
Cartagena, Colombia
Cartagena de Indias , is a large Caribbean beach resort city on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Coast Region and capital of Bolívar Department...
. He is contracted by the corporations and museums.
After working and studying in Europe as a muralist, Kirby wanted to learn more modern mural techniques and moved to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Here he started working as an apprentice for various mural masters. During these studies he was commissioned to do various murals for private and public buildings and eventually he started his own studio in Guadalajara.
In the 2002, Kirby returned to the city of his birth to create a new studio using the techniques he has learned abroad. His latest studio is called "Murals of Baltimore" which is a company that creates frescos, keim murals, marouflage
Marouflage
Marouflage is a technique for affixing a painted canvas to a wall to be used as a mural, using an adhesive that hardens as it dries such as plaster or cement....
, mosaics, street paintings, and other forms of public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
.
Projects
In 2007 Michael Kirby created a 8 x 45 meter mural of the Life of Pocahontas outside the home of PocahontasPocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
, Werowocomoco
Werowocomoco
Werowocomoco was a village that served as the political center of the Powhatan Paramount Chiefdom, a grouping of about 30 Virginia Indian tribes speaking an Algonquian language...
, in Gloucester, Virginia for the 400 Anniversary Celebration.
Kirby has been contracted by McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
Corp., The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
, Earthlink
EarthLink
EarthLink , is an Internet service provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. It claims 1.94 million subscribers.- Business :EarthLink provides a variety of Internet connection types, including dial-up, DSL, satellite, and cable. Both dial-up and high speed Internet access are available...
, Honda Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
Tour, Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, and other corporations for 3 dimensional street paintings. He has also created murals for CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
, City of Baltimore, City of Guadalajara, Chiesa San Paolo in Napoli, Italy, Smithsonian Institute, and others. As well as giving lectures in Johns Hopkins University, North Carolina Museum of Art
North Carolina Museum of Art
The North Carolina Museum of Art is an art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina, featuring paintings and sculpture representing 5,000 years of artistic work from antiquity to the present. The museum features more than 40 galleries as well as more than a dozen works of art in its Museum Park...
, and others.
Media
Kirby's work has been featured in news outlets and media. He was featured on the Late Show with David LettermanLate Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
and his work has been on Culpo Di Fulmine Show in Italy and German Public Television documentary on Koln
KOLN
KOLN, digital channel 10, is the CBS affiliate in Lincoln, Nebraska. It operates a satellite station, KGIN, on digital channel 11 in Grand Island. KGIN repeats all KOLN programming, but airs separate commercials...
. His work has been featured on various television outlets such as ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
.
Various newspapers and magazines have also written articles about his work such as LA Times, Baltimore Sun, Mural Guadalajara, Il Tempo Roma, Venezia Gazzetta and Il Publico.