Richard Hambleton
Encyclopedia
Richard Hambleton is an artist-painter currently living and working in the Lower East Side
of New York City
. Richard Hambleton has been called the godfather of street art
. He is the surviving member of a group who, together with Keith Haring
and Jean-Michel Basquiat
, had great success coming out of the New York City
art scene during the booming art market of the 1980s
. Much of Hambleton's work is compared to graffiti art, however, Hambleton considers his work to be "public art
".
. Canada
in June 1954. He earned his Bachelor in Fine Arts from the Emily Carr School of Art in Vancouver
in 1975. Hambleton was also Founder and Co-Director “Pumps” Center for Alternative Art, a gallery, performance and video space in Vancouver
.
is noteworthy for his Image Mass Murder concept. From 1976 to 1979 Hambleton painted a police "chalk" outline around bodies of volunteer "homicide victims." He then splashed some red paint on the outline, leaving behind a realistic looking crime scene. These "crime scenes" were done on the streets of 15 major cities across the United States
and Canada
. Like Hambleton's future "Shadowman" paintings, the Image Mass Murder "crime scenes" would often have the effect of startling or shocking passersby.
. Locations were believed to be calculated for maximum impact upon unsuspecting pedestrians. Very often, a "Shadowman" could be found in a dark alley or lurking just around a street corner. Hambleton later expanded the scope of his project and painted these "shadowmen" in other cities, including Paris
, London
and Rome
, and even, in 1984, 17 life-size figures on the East side of the Berlin Wall
, returning a year later to paint the West side of the Berlin Wall.
, Richard Hambleton produced a variation of his "shadow" work, showing his "Shadowman" as a sort of "rodeo man," or rugged "Marlboro Man
," often riding a bucking horse. This series was painted on canvas and other materials, where they could be displayed as works of art. Inspired by the Marlboro (cigarette) magazine advertisements, which in some ways exploited the image of a uniquely "American hero" to sell its product, Hambleton appropriated and modified the image to create a new series of work. Some paintings even have the Marlboro lettering of the advertisement showing through a layer of transparent paint. In this way, the work presents to the viewer the original inspiration behind the work, together with the artist's dramatic alteration and personal expression, perhaps resulting in a statement of how images and the ideas they represent can be manipulated for either artistic or commercial results. Not only the Marlboro Man
image but the surrounding landscape (called "Marlboro Country" in the advertisements), was transformed to become part of the overall theme of this series.
in 1984 and 1988, and his work is part of numerous permanent collections including that of the Museum of Modern Art
.
of New York City, John Woodward, helped launch a resurgence of interest in Hambleton's work, by featuring Richard Hambleton in his first solo exhibition in over a decade. The resulting exhibition, entitled "The Beautiful Paintings," gained much recognition for Richard Hambleton, as it gathered the largest collection of the Beautiful Paintings series to date. The exhibit was also the first to associate the artist’s name with his most recent work, the Beautiful Paintings, in the public mind. Richard Hambleton even painted his trademark, a lone, black Shadowman figure, on the gallery’s wall in order to “safe-guard” his paintings, which also highlighted and added context to the artist's bold "post-Shadowman" direction.
, Andy Valmorbida
, and Giorgio Armani
. Thirty five pieces of Hambleton's work, spanning from the early 1980s
to the present were exhibited, showing his "Shadowman" and "Marlboro Man" works on canvas (and other materials), presented side-by-side with his "Beautiful Paintings." The show was a great success and all the art work sold-out.
Part of the exhibit featured a series photographic images of photographer, author and music producer, Hank O'Neal
, who had taken many photographs of the "Shadowman" works in 1982, and who also attended the show. O'Neal is said to have sought out examples of the "Shadowman" to photograph because he felt they were interesting examples of graffiti art, which itself was so prevalent at the time. Stunning in beauty and realism, O'Neal's "Shadowman" series now stand as both art and documentation, bringing an honest perspective to the nature of Richard Hambelton's early 1980s
public art
.
Presented at a space located at 560 Washington Street in New York City
, the show was heavily publicized and featured as part of New York Fashion Week
. Designed to be an "art event," similar to those in the days of Andy Warhol
, the opening attracted many celebrities, including Mary J. Blige
, Bruce Willis
, Alicia Keys
, and Jennifer Aniston
; as well as a host of supermodels of the fashion world, including Lily Donaldson
and Bar Refaeli
. The show opened on September 15, 2009, and is seen by some as firmly solidifying Richard Hambleton's distinguished place in the history of modern art
.
, Italy
at the Armani Teatro, presented by Giorgio Armani
and curated by Andy Valmorbida
and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld
, which was also purported to be sold-out.
At the 2010 annual AIDS
charity amfAR
dinner party, held during the Cannes Film Festival
, two paintings of Richard Hambleton were auctioned for a combined $920,000.00, to help raise funds for AIDS
research.
PAPERMAG in October 2009 wrote of Hambleton: "Memo to Banksy
: You owe Richard Hambleton a small fortune in royalties. You too, KAWS
. Hambleton’s early ’80’s onsite works-dynamic, painted “Shadowmen” on street corners and in alleyways-are clear precursors of the early ’00’s graffiti-art boom, and Hambleton himself, a contemporary of Keith Haring
and Jean-Michel Basquiat
, one of its unsung godfathers".
(Xavier Prou) commented, when asked by the Wooster Collective
what artists he admired, "From the old school I really like Richard Hambleton. This American artist from NYC was the first street artist to export his work all over the world. It was really incredible to do that in the beginning of the 80's! This guy put his shadows in every city in Europe
and so you could find them in Paris
, London
, Roma
, Berlin
, etc..."
Victor Matthews, an artist born in Brooklyn in 1963, and a graduate of the New York’s High School of Art and Design, cites artists such as Keith Haring
and Richard Hambleton for his inspiration, artists who, he says, "made the city streets and subways their own."
Banksy’s work may be the most famous street art in the world, but the man who inspired him to first take out his stencils and spray paints in the dead of night was Richard Hambleton.
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Richard Hambleton has been called the godfather of street art
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...
. He is the surviving member of a group who, together with Keith Haring
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
and Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting.-Early life:...
, had great success coming out of the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
art scene during the booming art market of the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
. Much of Hambleton's work is compared to graffiti art, however, Hambleton considers his work to be "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...
".
Early life
Richard Hambleton was born in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in June 1954. He earned his Bachelor in Fine Arts from the Emily Carr School of Art in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
in 1975. Hambleton was also Founder and Co-Director “Pumps” Center for Alternative Art, a gallery, performance and video space in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
Image Mass Murder
Richard Hambleton's early public artPublic 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...
is noteworthy for his Image Mass Murder concept. From 1976 to 1979 Hambleton painted a police "chalk" outline around bodies of volunteer "homicide victims." He then splashed some red paint on the outline, leaving behind a realistic looking crime scene. These "crime scenes" were done on the streets of 15 major cities across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Like Hambleton's future "Shadowman" paintings, the Image Mass Murder "crime scenes" would often have the effect of startling or shocking passersby.
Shadowman
Richard Hambleton is most famous for his "Shadowman" paintings of the early 1980s. Each painting resembles a life-sized silhouetted image of some mysterious person, a "splashy shadow figure." These "shadow paintings" were splashed and brushed with black paint on hundreds of buildings and other structures across New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Locations were believed to be calculated for maximum impact upon unsuspecting pedestrians. Very often, a "Shadowman" could be found in a dark alley or lurking just around a street corner. Hambleton later expanded the scope of his project and painted these "shadowmen" in other cities, including 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...
and 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 even, in 1984, 17 life-size figures on the East side of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
, returning a year later to paint the West side of the Berlin Wall.
"Marlboro Man"
Moving beyond public artPublic 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...
, Richard Hambleton produced a variation of his "shadow" work, showing his "Shadowman" as a sort of "rodeo man," or rugged "Marlboro Man
Marlboro Man
The Marlboro Man is a figure used in tobacco advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes. In the United States, where the campaign originated, it was used from 1954 to 1999. The Marlboro Man was first conceived by Leo Burnett in 1954. The image involves a rugged cowboy or cowboys, in nature with...
," often riding a bucking horse. This series was painted on canvas and other materials, where they could be displayed as works of art. Inspired by the Marlboro (cigarette) magazine advertisements, which in some ways exploited the image of a uniquely "American hero" to sell its product, Hambleton appropriated and modified the image to create a new series of work. Some paintings even have the Marlboro lettering of the advertisement showing through a layer of transparent paint. In this way, the work presents to the viewer the original inspiration behind the work, together with the artist's dramatic alteration and personal expression, perhaps resulting in a statement of how images and the ideas they represent can be manipulated for either artistic or commercial results. Not only the Marlboro Man
Marlboro Man
The Marlboro Man is a figure used in tobacco advertising campaign for Marlboro cigarettes. In the United States, where the campaign originated, it was used from 1954 to 1999. The Marlboro Man was first conceived by Leo Burnett in 1954. The image involves a rugged cowboy or cowboys, in nature with...
image but the surrounding landscape (called "Marlboro Country" in the advertisements), was transformed to become part of the overall theme of this series.
Beautiful Paintings
Richard Hambleton followed with a new body of work he entitled, "Beautiful Paintings." In these pieces, Hambleton used transparent paint on a metallic leaf background in order to reflect light and color to and from the viewer, who unwittingly becomes part of the visual effect. Some pieces were done with metallic leaf on canvas and others on a mirror-like or metallic surface. With strong use of color, these pieces stand in stark contrast to his "shadow" work. Hambleton has stated that this work was a reaction against the abundance of figurative painting displayed in galleries at the time, to which he chose not include figurative work of his own. Hambleton said that he also intentionally sought out a different mood, "with a different sensibility," from his previous work.Galleries, Museums and Collections
During his career, Richard Hambleton's work have been shown internationally in world-class galleries and museums, including paintings on canvas and paper of his "shadow" work. Richard Hambleton's artwork has been represented in the Venice BiennaleVenice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
in 1984 and 1988, and his work is part of numerous permanent collections including that of the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
.
Renewed interest
In 2007, director of the Woodward GalleryWoodward Gallery
The Woodward Gallery is a contemporary fine art gallery that opened in April 1994 under the incorporation G.O.L.A, Inc. . The inaugural exhibition was held in Times Square at the Roundabout Theatre Company. Their gallery space started in New York City at 419 Lafayette Street and moved to SoHo at...
of New York City, John Woodward, helped launch a resurgence of interest in Hambleton's work, by featuring Richard Hambleton in his first solo exhibition in over a decade. The resulting exhibition, entitled "The Beautiful Paintings," gained much recognition for Richard Hambleton, as it gathered the largest collection of the Beautiful Paintings series to date. The exhibit was also the first to associate the artist’s name with his most recent work, the Beautiful Paintings, in the public mind. Richard Hambleton even painted his trademark, a lone, black Shadowman figure, on the gallery’s wall in order to “safe-guard” his paintings, which also highlighted and added context to the artist's bold "post-Shadowman" direction.
Spotlight and Retrospective
In 2009, the works of Richard Hambleton were displayed in an exhibition celebrating his 40 year career as an artist entitled, "Richard Hambleton - New York." The exhibit was the result of a collaborative effort between Vladimir Restoin RoitfeldVladimir Restoin Roitfeld
Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld is a French art dealer and curator. He is also founder of Feedback Ltd., a private art dealership based in Manhattan.-Early life:...
, Andy Valmorbida
Andy Valmorbida
Andy Valmorbida was born in Melbourne, Australia and is the son of Italian immigrants and heir to one of Australia's largest private conglomerates....
, and Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
. Thirty five pieces of Hambleton's work, spanning from the early 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
to the present were exhibited, showing his "Shadowman" and "Marlboro Man" works on canvas (and other materials), presented side-by-side with his "Beautiful Paintings." The show was a great success and all the art work sold-out.
Part of the exhibit featured a series photographic images of photographer, author and music producer, Hank O'Neal
Hank O'Neal
Hank O’Neal is an American music producer, author and photographer. He is equally well known in all these disciplines.- Youth :...
, who had taken many photographs of the "Shadowman" works in 1982, and who also attended the show. O'Neal is said to have sought out examples of the "Shadowman" to photograph because he felt they were interesting examples of graffiti art, which itself was so prevalent at the time. Stunning in beauty and realism, O'Neal's "Shadowman" series now stand as both art and documentation, bringing an honest perspective to the nature of Richard Hambelton's early 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
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...
.
Presented at a space located at 560 Washington Street in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the show was heavily publicized and featured as part of New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week
The semi-annual New York Fashion Week, branded Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek in 2009, is held in February and September of each year in New York City. It is one of four major fashion weeks held around the world .-History:The first New York Fashion Week, then called Press Week, was the world's first...
. Designed to be an "art event," similar to those in the days of Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, the opening attracted many celebrities, including Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
, Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, and Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Joanna Aniston is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom Friends, a role which earned her an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.Aniston has also enjoyed a successful film career,...
; as well as a host of supermodels of the fashion world, including Lily Donaldson
Lily Donaldson
-Career:Donaldson was born in London, and educated at the Camden School for Girls, living in Kentish Town with her parents.Since being scouted by Select Model Management in 2003 at the age of 16 while shopping in Camden, Donaldson has landed campaigns for fashion houses such as Dior, Jil Sander,...
and Bar Refaeli
Bar Refaeli
Bar Refaeli is an Israeli model and occasional actress, most known for her modeling work and for her relationship with American actor Leonardo DiCaprio. She was the cover model of the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.-Early life:...
. The show opened on September 15, 2009, and is seen by some as firmly solidifying Richard Hambleton's distinguished place in the history of modern art
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
.
Recent Exhibits
In 2010, Richard Hambelton continued his comeback gaining renewed recognition with an exhibit of artwork in MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Italy
Italy
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...
at the Armani Teatro, presented by Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani
Giorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines. He formed his company, Armani, in 1975, and by 2001 was acclaimed as the most successful designer to come out of Italy, with an annual turnover of $1.6 billion and a...
and curated by Andy Valmorbida
Andy Valmorbida
Andy Valmorbida was born in Melbourne, Australia and is the son of Italian immigrants and heir to one of Australia's largest private conglomerates....
and Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld
Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld
Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld is a French art dealer and curator. He is also founder of Feedback Ltd., a private art dealership based in Manhattan.-Early life:...
, which was also purported to be sold-out.
At the 2010 annual AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
charity amfAR
AmfAR
amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of AIDS research, HIV prevention, treatment education, and the advocacy of sound AIDS-related public policy.-History:...
dinner party, held during the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, two paintings of Richard Hambleton were auctioned for a combined $920,000.00, to help raise funds for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
research.
Art Review and Art Criticism
New York Times art critic Michael Brenson, when commenting on Hambleton's exceptional skill at handling paint, wrote, "When he throws white or black on the canvas, his waves break, his rodeo rider bucks, a man shot seems blown apart."PAPERMAG in October 2009 wrote of Hambleton: "Memo to Banksy
Banksy
Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based graffiti artist, political activist, film director, and painter.His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine irreverent dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique...
: You owe Richard Hambleton a small fortune in royalties. You too, KAWS
KAWS (artist)
Brian Donnelly , professionally known as KAWS, is a New York-based artist and designer of limited edition toys and clothing. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.-Biography:...
. Hambleton’s early ’80’s onsite works-dynamic, painted “Shadowmen” on street corners and in alleyways-are clear precursors of the early ’00’s graffiti-art boom, and Hambleton himself, a contemporary of Keith Haring
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
and Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat was an American artist. His career in art began as a graffiti artist in New York City in the late 1970s, and in the 1980s produced Neo-expressionist painting.-Early life:...
, one of its unsung godfathers".
Artist Influence
Blek le RatBlek le Rat
Blek le Rat, born Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris in 1952, was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the “Father of Stencil Graffiti” .-Early career and Influence:...
(Xavier Prou) commented, when asked by the Wooster Collective
Wooster Collective
Wooster Collective is a website founded in 2003 that showcases street art from around the world. It is dedicated to showcasing and celebrating ephemeral art placed on streets in cities around the world. Updated by Marc and Sara Schiller, the site also offers podcasting with music and interviews...
what artists he admired, "From the old school I really like Richard Hambleton. This American artist from NYC was the first street artist to export his work all over the world. It was really incredible to do that in the beginning of the 80's! This guy put his shadows in every city in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and so you could find them in 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...
, Roma
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...
, 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...
, etc..."
Victor Matthews, an artist born in Brooklyn in 1963, and a graduate of the New York’s High School of Art and Design, cites artists such as Keith Haring
Keith Haring
Keith Haring was an artist and social activist whose work responded to the New York City street culture of the 1980s.-Early life:...
and Richard Hambleton for his inspiration, artists who, he says, "made the city streets and subways their own."
Banksy’s work may be the most famous street art in the world, but the man who inspired him to first take out his stencils and spray paints in the dead of night was Richard Hambleton.