Subway Art: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

A paperback book documenting the graffiti artwork and artists, including Dondi White, ZEPHYR, and Lady Pink, of New York City's early graffiti art movement. The cover features 18 photographs of graffiti art on New York City subway cars, lined up together in a grid. The title appears in white text against a black background: [SUBWAY ART / Martha Cooper (Henry Holt logo) Henry Chalfant]. There are 104 pages and 239 full color photographs.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1984
• Written by: Martha Cooper, American, born 1940
• Written by: Henry Chalfant, American, born 1940
• Published by: Holt, Reinhart, and Winston, founded 1960
• Subject of: Dondi White, American, 1961 - 1998
• Subject of: ZEPHYR, American
• Subject of: Lady Pink, Ecuadorian American, born 1964
• Type: artists' books
• Medium: ink on paper (fiber product)
• Dimensions: L x W: 10 3/4 x 8 7/16 x 1/2 in. (27.3 x 21.4 x 1.3 cm)
• Place depicted: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Art
• Topic: Hip-hop (Music)
• Topic: Photography
• Topic: Urban life
• Object number: 2011.148.17
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of the Dondi White Estate
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: ©Holt, Reinhart, and Winston Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.