History of graffiti and street art: the 1980sġ980s / São Paulo / Rise of the pixação movement, Brazil’s home-grown name writing done in a distinctive, cryptic style, which often goes hand-in-hand with free climbing and abseiling to reach extremely difficult spots on buildings.ġ980s / Berlin / The Berlin Wall becomes a popular painting spot for national and international graffiti and street artists, among whom Thierry Noir, often credited as the first artist to paint the Berlin Wall, and Keith Haring, arguably the biggest artist to emerge from New York’s graffiti subculture of the 1980s.ġ981 / Paris / Blek Le Rat hits the streets with his stencils, leaving spray painted rats all over Paris. The introduction of new media as well as international partnerships also contributes to the movements developing a stronger international presence and unity.

More high brow art shows help solidify the movements’ statuses. Movies and books on New York City subcultures spread graffiti all over the world. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, graffiti and street art go global and collaborate with many other forms of art. If you want to start at the very beginning of this overview, please check out History of graffiti and street art: the 1960s and the 1970s. This overview aims to introduce crucial moments in the development of both graffiti and street art, which paved the way for the artworks we currently have on display. What were some of the key events that would eventually lead to graffiti and street art finding their way to museums such as STRAAT? That's where this extended historic overview comes in.

But there is a long history that predates these artworks. At STRAAT, we showcase some of the most amazing contemporary graffiti and street art.

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