Spraycan Art

Spraycan Art documents the international spread of graffiti culture beyond its New York City origins. This 1987 release by Henry Chalfant and James Prigoff features over 200 photographs of street art from cities across the United States and Europe. The book captures works by influential artists including Mode 2, The Chrome Angelz, Futura, Lee, and Seen. Its focus shifts from subway cars to wall pieces, tracking how graffiti evolved and adapted as it moved into new urban environments. The visual documentation is supplemented by artist interviews and commentary on local scenes from Chicago to Barcelona. The book became a cornerstone text in graffiti culture, with over 100,000 copies sold and the distinction of being London's most frequently stolen book in its release year. This pioneering documentation helped legitimize graffiti as an art form while preserving a crucial period in its evolution from local phenomenon to global movement. The photographs capture both the raw energy of the artworks and the emergence of distinct regional styles.

Readers value this 1987 book as a historical document capturing graffiti's global spread in the 1980s. The photography receives consistent praise for documenting early pieces that no longer exist. Multiple reviewers note the book's importance in preserving graffiti history before widespread internet documentation. Likes: - High quality photos showing technique details - Coverage of international scenes beyond NYC - Artist interviews and cultural context - Useful reference for graffiti letter styles Dislikes: - Some photos printed too small - Limited coverage of European scenes - Text sections felt brief to some readers - Print quality in newer editions Ratings: Goodreads: 4.4/5 (182 ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (58 ratings) Common reader comment: "This book showed us what was happening in other cities before social media existed" (paraphrased from multiple reviews) Several reviewers mention using this as their main graffiti reference book in the pre-internet era.

Subway Art by Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant. This photobook documents the birth of New York City graffiti culture in the 1970s and 1980s through rare images of painted subway cars and their creators.

The History of American Graffiti by Roger Gastman, Caleb Neelon. This compilation traces graffiti's evolution from the 1960s through contemporary times with photographs and interviews from writers across the United States.

Style Wars by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant. The companion book to the documentary film presents the hip-hop culture and graffiti movement of 1980s New York through photographs and artist profiles.

Getting Up by Craig Castleman. This ethnographic study examines the techniques, culture, and social organization of New York City graffiti writers in the 1970s.

Graffiti Kings by Jack Stewart. This collection presents photographs and research documenting New York subway graffiti from 1974 to 1986 through the lens of an art historian.

🎨 The book was London's most frequently shoplifted book in 1987, with local bookstores having to keep it behind counters and under special surveillance. 📸 Co-author Henry Chalfant pioneered documentation techniques for graffiti art, using specialized photography methods to capture entire train car pieces in the 1970s and '80s. 🌍 The book was groundbreaking in showing how different cities developed their own distinct graffiti styles - London favored more abstract designs, while Barcelona artists often incorporated Spanish cultural elements. 🎬 Chalfant also co-produced the iconic 1983 documentary "Style Wars," making him one of the first to seriously document hip-hop and graffiti culture through multiple media. 🖼️ Several artists featured in the book, including Futura and Goldie, went on to achieve mainstream success with works displayed in major galleries and museums worldwide.