Sane and Smith were the names used by a

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

duo, composed of David Smith ("Sane") and his brother Roger Smith ("Smith"), active during the 1980s.

About

Sane & Smith were among the most persistent taggers in New York during the 1980s. According to Smith, they set themselves and accomplished the goal of leaving a tag every 20 feet in the

60th Street Tunnel The 60th Street Tunnel carries the of the New York City Subway under the East River and Roosevelt Island between Manhattan and Queens. History Construction and opening The tunnel was built as part of the Dual Contracts, which expanded the ...

. Sane & Smith are particularly notable for painting on the top level of New York's Brooklyn Bridge, after which they were sued by the City of New York for $3 million, the biggest lawsuit to date against graffiti writers.Jennifer Tot
The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City"> The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City
Chicago Review Press (1993), pp. 119-122. . The work covered both sides of the Manhattan tower of the bridge, and was visible for miles. New York's

Transit Police Transit police (also known as transport police, railway police, railroad police and several other terms) are specialized police agencies employed either by a common carrier (a transit district, railway, railroad, bus line, or any other mass tra ...

had been tracking Sane & Smith for three years and described them as "one of the top 20 graffiti artists in the city in terms of damage done." David Smith was not college educated. His brother Roger obtained a degree in

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includin ...

from

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

, though subsequently gave up his job to paint full-time.

Sane's death

In October 1990,Colin Moynihan
'F.Y.I.'
New York Times, February 4, 2001. Retrieved 2012-06-30. Sane was found dead in the waters of

Flushing Bay Flushing Bay is a tidal embayment in New York City. It is located on the south side of the East River and stretches to the south near the neighborhood of Flushing, Queens. It is bordered on the west by LaGuardia Airport and the Grand Central Parkw ...

. Speculation about the reasons for his death were rife but inconclusive.Kevin Heldman
'THE FIRST TIME I meet JA...'
Rolling Stone, February 9, 1995. "JA's best friend and writing partner, SANE, a legendary all-city writer... SANE had written his and JA's tag and off to the side, FLYING HIGH THE XTC WAY". Article reproduced on www.graffiti.org. Retrieved 2012-06-30. It was believed he was a good swimmer. In February, aged 19, he had been arrested and had become the first graffiti writer in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...

to be formally accused of third-degree

criminal mischief Mischief or malicious mischief is the name for a criminal offenses that is defined differently in different legal jurisdictions. While the wrongful acts will often involve what is popularly described as vandalism, there can be a legal differenti ...

.'Man Seized in Subway Yard As Notorious Graffiti Vandal'
New York Times, February 12, 1990 (reproduced online at whatyouwrite.wordpress.com). Retrieved 2012-06-30. The city dropped its lawsuit against Smith after Sane's death. Roger Smith continued to paint as "Smith", collaborating with Chris Pape ("Freedom").The Mole People, pp. 126 et seq. Smith is married to fellow graffiti artist

Lady Pink Lady Pink, born Sandra Fabara (1964), is an Ecuadorian-American graffiti and mural artist. Early life Fabara was born in Ambato, Ecuador in 1964 and moved to the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York when she was seven years old. She grew up ...

References

{{reflist, 2 American graffiti artists Artists from New York City