''Spraycan Art'' is the first book that documented the initial stages of the worldwide spread of

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

graffiti Graffiti (singular ''graffiti'', or ''graffito'' only in graffiti archeology) is writing or drawings made on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written "monikers" to elabor ...

style and subculture. Authored by

Henry Chalfant Henry Chalfant (born January 2, 1940) is an American photographer and videographer most notable for his work on graffiti, breakdance, and hip hop culture. One of Chalfant's prints is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in N ...

and James Prigoff and published by

Thames & Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

on September 1, 1987. The photographs are primarily of walls rather than subway cars, and features the work of Mode 2 and The Chrome Angelz, 3D (

Robert Del Naja Robert Del Naja (; born 21 January 1965), also known as 3D, is a British artist, musician, singer and songwriter. He emerged as a graffiti artist and member of the Bristol collective The Wild Bunch (sound system), the Wild Bunch, and later as ...

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is an English music producer, DJ, and actor. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musi ...

Bando Bando (, ) is a defensive unarmed martial art from Myanmar. Bando is sometimes mistakenly used as a generic word for all Burmese martial arts, but it is only one martial art; Burmese fighting systems collectively are referred to as ''Thaing (bu ...

, Futura, Kaves, Lee, Chico, Tracy 168, Buda, Shame, Blade, Seen, Stash, Reas (aka Todd James), Espo ( Stephen Powers) and many others.

Production

''Spraycan Art'' is authored by Henry Chalfant and James Prigoff. It follows the release of ''Subway Ar''t (1984) by Chalfant and Martha Cooper. The book contains over 200 photos of graffiti art from major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Barcelona, London, Vienna, etc. It also included some interviews. Unlike the proceeding book which only focussed on New-York graffitis where they originated, it also covers its impact and progression in other cities in the US and Europe.

Reception

The book sold over 100 000 copies, and was the most stolen book in London the year of its release.

References

{{Graffiti-stub 1987 non-fiction books Books about New York City Graffiti in New York City Collaborative non-fiction books Thames & Hudson books