FROM THE STREET | From the Street

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Rosenfeld Gallery is thrilled to present From the Street.

From subways, trains, abandoned buildings, found debris and objects; to plywood used to protect a construction site, you name it: their canvas is the street. Keith Haring, Jean Michael Basquiat, Kenny Scharf, Futura 2000 are early trailblazers of Street Art; followed by Banksy and Kaws who are considered icons. Each artist contributed to the creation of Street Art. Once considered graffiti and vandalism, is now considered part of Art History. Our exhibition shows different works of art from Banksy, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, and Kaws focusing on the graffiti and street art period. The pinnacle piece of our show From the Street, is a Keith Haring mural that he spray-painted while it served as a barricade for the Pittsburgh Glass Company. The creation of this piece was documented on the Keith Haring Foundation’s website under Murals.
We look forward to welcoming you in the gallery or online to view and engage this historical journey through graffiti that’s truly from the street!

Banksy, a street artist whose identity remains unknown, is believed to have been born in Bristol, England, around 1974. He rose to prominence for his provocative stenciled pieces in the late 1990s.

Banksy’s political statements and disruptive vision have impacted cities across the globe at vital moments in modern history, provoking alternative viewpoints and encouraging revolution in the art world.

His identity remains unknown, even after more than 30 years of involvement in the global graffiti scene. He has worked in many street artmediums and in many styles, breaking down the boundaries and expectations of street art critics.

His work includes powerful, often controversial images, encouraging the rapid spread of his name and work across the internet. Today, his iconic works have been re-shared and repurposed beyond measure.

BANKSY

Monkey Queen, 2003

Screenprint Ed. 57/750

19 x 13 inches

Signed on the lower left side

(the first 150 are signed)

Accompanied by Pest Control Certificate

KAWS’s career began as a graffiti artist in New York, NY, in the early 1990s.

His images were seen on billboards, bus stops, and in phone booths. He began working as a freelance artist for Disney, creating animated backgrounds.

Some of his most popular works include his contributions to 101 Dalmations, Daria, and Doug. Once KAWS began to gain popularity, his graffiti advertisements became highly sought after.

He traveled extensively to work in Paris, London, Germany, and Japan. In 1998, he received the Pernod Liquid Art Award, which offers a grant to new artists.

KAWS

NYT, 2012

Acrylic on canvas

60-inch diameter

K E I T H
H A R I N G

Keith Haring moved to New York City in 1978 and began using the city as his canvas, making chalk drawings in subway stations. His art was eventually seen everywhere from public murals and nightclubs to galleries and museums around the world. He was also known for his activism in promoting AIDS awareness. He died of AIDS-related complications on February 16, 1990, at age 31.

Haring’s deceptively simple imagery and text provided poignant and cutting cultural commentary on issues including AIDS, drug addiction, illicit love, and apartheid. As both an artist and an activist he established that depicting serious issues could be fun or at least lively when communicated through highly cartoony images and fresh and vivid choices of colors.

KEITH HARING

Untitled, Executed in 1987-1988

Lacquered Steel

57 ½ x 51 x 50 ⅛ in (146.1 x 129.5 x 127.3 cm)

This work is from an edition of three and is registered with The Estate of Keith Haring under identification number 062195A12.

KEITH HARING

Untitled, 1984

Acrylic on Canvas

31 3/4 x 59 1/2 in

Signed and dated DEC. 16 - 84 Marseille

Accompanied by certificate of authenticity its issued by the Authentication Committee of the Estate of Keith Haring and number 071791A3

KEITH HARING

Busted Head, 1984

Sumi ink on paper

22 7/8 x 28 ¾ in (58 x 73 cm)

Signed and dated 'K. Haring Nov. 21 1984' (on the reverse)

KEITH HARING

Art Attack on Aids, 1988

Screenprint, on oak Veneer plywood

29 7/8 x 29 7/8 in

Signed and dated in black ink, numbered 4/20

(10 artist proofs)

KEITH HARING

USA, 19-82, 1982

Lithograph in black and red, on copperplate deluxe paper

21 1/4 x 29 in

Signed and dated in pencil, numbered 26/50 (12 artist proofs)

KEITH HARING

Untitled, 1987

Marker on Paper

8 1/4 x 5 1/4 in (21 x 13.3 cm)

Signed and dated 87

KENNY SCHARF

Close N' Far, 2019

Oil and spray paint on linen with powder- coated aluminum frame.

54 x 48 in

Signed, titled on verso.

Kenny Scharf is an American painter and iconic street artist. His inimitable graffiti paintings gained him notoriety and fame in the New York downtown art scene of the 1980s, with his work regularly featuring stylized aliens and popular culture icons in tessellated, colorful patterns.

Scharf's fun, colorful work is both a nod to the future and a reference to past art historical movements such as Pop and Surrealism.

"One very important and guiding principle to my work is to reach out beyond the elitist boundaries of fine art and connect to popular culture through my art," says Scharf.