1984 Street Art in NYC
Saturday, January 6th, 2007
Kenny Scharf
I always interpreted this poster as representing real estate predators stalking the neighborhood. This was in the East Village somewhere around First Avenue and 10th Street, I think. Artist unknown.
I’m in the middle of scanning my street art slides from the 1980′s. Can anyone identify this artist? I’m thinking it may be Richard Hambleton, who is most famous for his shadow men.
Update August 5, 2009: David Fried a friend of Hambleton says it is definitely not his work. David was a member of Avant a street art group in the early 80′s.
This was on a parking lot wall on Houston Street in Soho. It was only up for a day or two before it was painted over, previously it was covered with ugly tags, and the owners didn’t seem to care. I love this piece and am so happy that I had my camera ready.
By White Papers. It was originally pasted on Mercer Street at Canal in Soho, NYC. The year is 1984. The same artist did many other politically tinged pieces during the time period.
This stencil artist was very active back in 1984. I think he had had a piece in the ABC no Rio benefit show this past fall. Identification help requested.
It was located on 6th Street and Avenue B in the East Village.
i like the wire hub caps on the caprice….killer skull too
Thanks for the id on the car, celso, not that I was looking for that.
Happy New Year.
happy new year yall
oh wow… i can’t wait to see the rest of them! Happy New Year team.
It is fantastic. But of course I have no clue who the artist is.
What a terrific piece of work. I was around back then, but I can’t identify the artist. I’m sure you track him or her down. Try posting it on the site todays art is on the wall and see if anybody there knows anything.
I’ll look into that site, Elisha, thanks.
The good doctor doesn’t know? What kind of bedside manner is that?
We need Dick Clark to drop a ball in this thread.
Oh Boy. Sorry again. But keep posting the images. Someone will know him or her.
so good
wonderful photo! Happy New Year!
Don’t think so. I remember his work. I think Richard Hambleton had a much different look. Anyway keep searching, I could be wrong.
damn. this is going to be such a sweet set…
awesome! thanks so much for sharing this =)
wish i was wondering the streets of soho back in 84 sigh
G! This is great! Brings back memories of going to hardcore matinees at CBs with my brother on Sunday afternoons…I miss how NYC felt back then – exciting, new, non-yuppified/"hipsterized", raw, and fresh….
So glad you’re posting these.
Excellent! Wow, so glad you have these photos. What a treat. I miss how NYC looked back then. This is one of the most excellent things about photography – the ability to visually preserve the past…Trips me back…
Wonder where the artists are who did these? Where have they gone? Love this old NYC stuff, please keep ‘em coming…
I think the artist used to do club stuff, like I’m thinking the walls at Danceteria…? That might be a lead.
run away!
so good. reminds me of a piece i saw in oaxaca a couple of years back…
Yeah, same technique, but a lot more violent in tone.
Your new Lucy icon makes me laugh, C.
I think it might have been somewhere around Prince and Mercer. My next project is to try and locate where some of these shots were taken, Irena.
Yes, run Celso.
the doctor is ‘in.’
You and Doc j should set up a trans-Atlantic practice.
Ah, Reagan! Rendered so accurately with that Hollywood smile… Dig the mouse scaling his face. Part of the original stencil or added later?
Funny I never noticed that mouse before. It does look like it was added later.
I think so too. Maybe the mouse was a later addition. How would anyone know?
I think I have other shots of that stencil, I’ll see if they are mouse free.
I feel like I have some vague memory of the mouse being its own stencil around town…not sure if I’m imagining this…
Ooo, love these little people…will have to look out for them.
The block letters below the image may say "THE WHITEWASHERS." That doesn’t ring a bell with me, but it may with someone else.
You triggered something in my memory, amolho4. I think it might say The White Papers.
I haven’t been able to pin it down but I think it may be by Mike Cockrill and Judge Hughes.
the white papers certainly sounds familiar to me from back then. so does the name mike cockrill. beyond that i can’t help much. but google produced this http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q="the+white+papers&... and this kentgallery.com/artibioT.htm
congrats – i think you figured it out.
Yeah, I found that same link. I’m pretty sure we’ve got it nailed.
I think it’s Mike Cockrill. I knew that. I knew that all along.
Don’t you need to be keeping an eye on the mess TT is making, doc.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/trois-tetes/359759173/?#comment7215...
cool image……shit man ny is still mad cool
Yeah, despite every effort of those in supposed charge, it still is.
wow. going over your 1980s stuff again is great. and i realize that this image has a piece by rv (mushroom cloud and "rv 84"). rv is one of my favorites from back then. do you have any info on him or her? see also:
and
Thanks for bringing that to my attention amolho4. I have no information on rv. I remember seeing this stuff around, but that is all.
Greetings Michael, Nice photographs!
The white paint on blue wall – surely not Hambleton..he was a friend back in the day. I can’t identify.
The Kennedy/Lennon was from “white papers” but i did not know that guy. (you can see another one of his on my site) The first image is kenny scharf of course. I am one of the artists from the 1980s AVANT group (see website) and I am wondering if you have any historical images of our work?? my own archive is pretty small. Alot never got shot, or got lost over the years.
Cheers,
David