7 Famous Graffiti Artists You Should Know
Provocative, controversial, often illegal: the art form graffiti heats up the tempers, but is also incredibly fascinating. Get to know seven outstanding and famous graffiti artists – and even embellish your home with cool street art.
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7 famous graffiti and street artists
They spray, paint, stick or chisel in public spaces, their works show people, animals or artistic lettering: Street artists make art that happens on the street and is accessible to everyone. What often starts illegally, for example with the nightly spraying of house walls or trains, is traded on the art market a few decades later. Get to know seven important and well-known graffiti artists and their art here! We start with a name that no one can avoid when it comes to street art…
Banksy
He is at least as famous as he is shrouded in mystery: the street artist Banksy is an icon far beyond the borders of the art world. His graffiti adorns building facades all over the world and his works fetch top prices at art auctions. But who is Banksy? No one has yet been able to answer this question satisfactorily, because the artist carefully guards his identity. It is assumed that Banksy comes from Bristol, England; his stencil graffiti first appeared there and in London. His motifs are sometimes ironic and socially critical, sometimes political. His most famous works include “Girl with Balloon“, “Flower Thrower” or “Sweeping It Under The Carpet“.
Discover these and other Banksy-Artworks as high-quality oil paintings at KunstLoft!
Some of Banksy’s famous projects and actions:
- The film Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010) plays with the difference between art and staging and was nominated for an Oscar for best documentary in 2011.
- Better Out Than In (2013) – in October 2013, new Banksys were unveiled every day in New York, creating a real Banksy hype – where would he “strike” next?
- At a Sothebys auction of his work “Girl with Balloon”, a built-in shredder destroyed the lower half of the painting shortly after the auction. This was probably Banksy’s way of expressing his criticism of the art market.
How about a motif by Banksy in your own four walls? You can find cool motifs by the world-famous street artist in the KunstLoft shop. The special feature: The paintings are hand-painted by artists and are therefore unique works of art.
Vhils
The Portuguese street artist Vhils, whose real name is Alexandre Farto, does it the other way round than his colleague Banksy: instead of spraying motifs with stencils, he hacks them out of the walls: with the help of a drill, hammer and chisel, he creates large-format portraits. He usually does not act illegally: in cities like Miami, London, Moscow or Berlin, walls are made available to the artist.
In this video you can learn more about the artist Vhils and his art:
C215
He is sometimes referred to as “France’s Banksy”: Like the Briton, the French street artist C215 uses stencils for his murals. Christian Guémy, C215’s real name, studied art history and began experimenting with spray techniques in 2005. Alongside his daughter Nina, his works show homeless people, refugees, street children – people who are often overlooked in our society. Today, C215 is one of the best-known street artists worldwide and his works can be found in the streets of Paris, Berlin, Oslo, London or Barcelona, among others.
Gonzalo Borondo
Born in Spain in 1989, graffiti artist Gonzalo Borondo is extremely versatile – he sees experimentation as the basis of his work. He combines painting with different techniques and materials such as glass, straw or ceramics. As a street artist, he is known for his large-scale murals in public spaces. His works, which he signs with his crossed-out surname, can be discovered in major European cities such as Madrid, Lisbon, London, Rome or Paris. But Borondo’s art projects can also be seen in museums and galleries across Europe since 2012.
Borondo presents his art on his YouTube channel:
Keith Haring
The American Keith Haring, who died in 1990, is one of the most famous graffiti artists in the world. His cartoon-like motifs and his two-dimensional painting style with its clear lines are unmistakable. Haring’s art began with his “Subway Drawings”, chalk pictures he left on advertising boards in New York underground stations.
This archive video introduces Keith Haring and his underground art:
In the 1980s, Keith Haring emerged as one of the most famous and sought-after Pop artists, receiving commissions worldwide and being exhibited in major museums and galleries. Haring’s most famous motifs include barking dogs, dancing figures, giant hearts and the “Radiant Baby”, a crawling baby surrounded by a halo of rays.
Invader
Born in 1969, the French street artist Invader, also known as Space Invader, is known for his mosaic paintings: Using tiles reminiscent of the pixels in early computer games, he immortalises characters from the video game Space Invaders on house walls all over the world. What began in Paris in 1998, Invader quickly expanded to other cities. His works can be seen in Paris and Rome as well as in the USA, Canada or Australia. The Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop made Invader even more famous in 2010.
On its official website, by the way, you can discover the locations of Invader’s “invasions” with the help of a world map.
Loomit
Many would probably assume Berlin to be the birthplace of the German graffiti scene – but in fact Germany’s first large-scale graffito was created in Geltendorf near Munich: on a cold March night in 1985, a group of young people, including Mathias Köhler, spray-painted an S-Bahn train, which went down in German street art history as the “Geltendorf train”. Later, Mathias Köhler became internationally famous under the artist name Loomit. On his travels, he leaves his impressive murals all over the world and enters into an artistic dialogue with other graffiti artists.
Fun Fact: The former mayor of Munich, Christian Ude, had his private bathroom designed by Loomit in 1993.
In this ARTE portrait, you will get to know the German graffiti pioneer Loomit and his works of art:
Answers to typical questions about graffiti art
You want to know more about graffiti art and street art? We answer some common questions about the art movement and its representatives.
Which well-known German graffiti artists are there?
Besides the above-mentioned sprayer legend Loomit, the artists DAIM, Tasso and Cantwo /Can2 are among the most famous German graffiti artists. DAIM’s real name is Mirko Reisser and he is known for his 3D graffiti style writing. Herbert Jens Müller or Tasso brought photorealism to the German graffiti scene with his graffiti. Behind Cantwo /Can2 is Fedor Wildhardt, another German sprayer veteran who has worked for brands like Coca-Cola and Adidas.
What is the difference between graffiti and street art?
Both terms are often used synonymously, but there are a few differences between street art and graffiti: While graffiti is sprayed and often used to “mark territory”, street art is more broadly defined: Using different techniques, be it stencils (graffiti with stencils), painting or sticking stickers, tiles or posters, art is produced in public space. Street art often also has a political character. Street art and graffiti art are combined under the umbrella term “urban art”.
What is the name of the most famous graffiti artist?
Probably the world’s best-known street art or graffiti artist is Banksy. His true identity is unknown; he was probably born in the 1970s in the English port city of Bristol. Banksy’s artworks often have a political message and appear quasi “overnight”; for example, his famous stencil “Flower Thrower“, which was discovered on a wall in Bethlehem in 2005: It shows an activist throwing a bouquet of flowers instead of a Molotov cocktail.
From the street into your living room: Street Art by KunstLoft
Now you have met some of the most famous graffiti and street art artists in the world. Maybe you feel like looking for street art in your neighbourhood? In many big cities there are special providers for street art tours where you can discover extraordinary street art and its history(s).
But not only on the street, also indoors street art can unfold its special effect and make a room look cool and modern.
At KunstLoft, you can find hand-painted acrylic and oil paintings with Banksy-Motifs as well as high-quality and environmentally friendly printed wallpapers in graffiti style:
By the way, you can find practical tips on what you should consider before buying wallpaper in our Wallpaper-Guide. In our article “How much wallpaper do you need” you can find out how to calculate the right amount of wallpaper.
Photo credits : Photo 1 (feature photo), Photo 3, Photo 7: © KunstLoft