Sprayed. Stenciled. Scrawled.: May Banksy, Basquiat & Haring Availabilties

The oldest known cave painting is a red hand stencil in Maltravieso cave, Cáceres, Spain. It has been dated to older than 64,000 years and was made by a Neanderthal. From school desks across the World to bawdy slogans scrawled into the fired clay bricks of Ancient Roman remains, human beings have sought to express themselves through simple lines in unorthodox manners. Fast-forward to the streets of New York in the 1970's and a sprayed explosion of colour, shapes and forms brought modern graffiti to new audiences, in new contexts as this primordial need for expression morphed into new guises.

In "Sprayed. Stenciled. Scrawled", we pay homage to three of the greats in our May availabilities.

Arguably the most influential artist of the 1980’s, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s primordial and energetic style has eclipsed his origins of spraying SAMO© on walls across New York City.

His explosive and powerful art explores complex oppositional themes such as race, power, identity and culture through almost childlike iconography weaving a rich visual lexicon that is as enthralling as it is recognisable.

Crowns, dinosaurs, chemical formulas and skulls can be found across his rich oeuvre which is often as abstract as it is expressive. His works are emblematic of a time of both great creativity and struggle and are expressions of the rise and commodification of punk, graffiti, and counter-cultural movements that exploded out of the 70's and 80's.

Apocryphally, Banksy's use of stencil can be traced to the artist escaping from police. Lying under a train carriage in the dead of night, he looks up above him. Heart pounding through fear of capture, he sees stenciled numbers on the cool metal of the underside of the train. Inspired by this seemingly simple method, the artist will take stencil art to a level never seen before. Whether defying authority, provoking the establishment or bringing meaning to the lives of millions around the world, Banksy's works provoke, delight and astound. 

Keith Haring's linework and pictorial language has its origins in the downtown scene of 1980's Manhattan. First scrawled on lamposts, benches and subway walls, Haring's visual codes and style demonstrate a confidence and spontaneity that have seen the artist firmly ascend from the streets to global superstardom. Forgoing the use of spray cans, respecting more traditional graffiti writers such as FUTURA 2000 and Fab Five Freddy, Haring chose the marker pen and chalk to bring his vibrant, fluid forms to life in an enduring dance that channels the human spirit of expression.

Discover our selection of Jean-Michel Basquiat prints, Banksy signed and unsigned works and Keith Haring original art and contact Andipa Editions via sales@andipa.com or call +44 (0)20 7589 2371 for latest availabilities.