(Left) Post-Graffiti, 1983; (Right) Modern Expressionists, 1984
It was big news back in December 1983 when the venerable Sidney Janis Gallery mounted the exhibition Post-Graffiti featuring canvases by top urban street artists. The embrace of graffiti culture was an unexpected and surprising turn for a gallery first established in 1948 and famous in the artworld for its exhibitions of European Modernism, Abstract Expressionism Pop and American Folk Art. In 1983 the gallery was still led by Sidney Janis, now in his mid-80s but as sensitive as ever to new art trends.
The curator of Post-Graffiti was the collector Dolores Neumann who had won Sidney Janis over a few months earlier when he attended her “Graffiti Symposium,” an unusual event for art insiders that featured a graffiti demonstration where a dozen artists filled a wall-size canvas with spray paint and markers in a matter of minutes. The Janis exhibition included other street art notables whose subsequent success is proof of the acuity of Neumann’s choices. The excitement of the opening was captured in a video by Paul Tschinkel in the Art/new york program Graffiti / Post Graffiti, which also includes footage of Neumann’s graffiti symposium.
Post-Graffiti: A-One, Basquiat, Bear, Brasz, Crane, Crash, Daze, Futura, Haring, Koor, Lady Pink, Leicht, Noc, Lee, Ramm-ell-zee, Scharf, Toxic. 1983
In his short forward in the catalogue Sidney Janis wrote: “The title of this exhibition, “Post-Graffiti,” is not to suggest that these new artists no longer work in graffiti…but more to attribute in their transition from subway surfaces to canvas, an extension in scope and concept of their spontaneous imagery.” Dolores Neumann notes “They interest themselves in cosmology, current events and human identity in a world of technology ranging from TV to the missile.”
Futura 2000 From The Sidney Janis Catalogue Post-Graffiti, December 1983.
Crash and Daze. 1984
Sidney Janis Gallery, Daze, Crash, 8 Page Exhibition Catalogue, 1984. Size: 8.5 x 11 Inches
This two-sided catalogue with one cover devoted to Crash (John Matos) and the other to Daze (Chris Ellis), introduced two artists who have continued to develop the cartoon element in subway graffiti. Crash’s calligraphy skills could be seen on the cover of the earlier Post-Graffiti catalogue. Daze’s collaged imagery provides a continually evolving narrative that follows the priorities in his life.
3 Graffiti Artists: A-One, Noc, Toxic. 1985
The three artists in this exhibition exemplify the dynamism inherent in a painting style rooted in the use of aerosol spray cans. For these artists the expressive power of line takes precedence over imagery. The talented A-One (Anthony Clark) coined the term “aerosol expressionism” before his early death from a brain hemorrhage in 2001.
A-One (Anthony Clark), “Fantastic Partners” From The Sidney Janis Catalogue 3 Graffiti Artists, 1985
Modern Expressionists: German, Italian, and American Painters. 1984
The 1980s saw the return of expressionist painting in both Europe and the United States. Here, the Janis Gallery took its cue from The Pressure to Paint, an earlier exhibition at Marlborough Gallery curated by Diego Cortez, which included two graffiti-related artists, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, along with other so-called “Neo-Expressionists” from the US, Italy and Germany.
