Art brought graffiti to the world, presenting stunning photographic documentation of the burgeoning movement in new york. From this time to the present, art has been a feature of new york s subway system. Take a ride through history on a tour of the worlds largest subway. A great way to introduce young readers to the idea of graphic design as a way to solve problemssuch as creating a map that can be understood by new yorkers and outoftowners alike. How did the immigrants of nyc in 1900 use the subway. The project is by rosy saliba kehdi and hollie fraser. Secrets of the nyc subways explores history and artwork. A few years ago, selfdescribed very white guy scott rogowsky was reading a book by his friend fellow comedian baratunde thurston. One mans opus to new yorks subway art, decades in the. Originally published in 1984, the book has been described as a landmark photographic history. The fountain is inside city hall park, located at 43 park row, new york, ny 10038. Chalfant captured the burgeoning new york city graffiti movement.
Much of its influence is due to the extraordinary documentation of the artists and their work in the book subway art, by martha cooper and henry chalfant, now rereleased in a beautifully. Coopers collaboration with henry chalfant, a photographer and filmmaker, captured graffitis golden and. Led by a licensed nyc guide this tour travels through subway stations to see municipally commissioned artworks. But this being new york city, some of the coolest installations are actually free public art displays on the streets, in the parks and even down in the subway. In 1972, new york mayor john lindsay declared a war on graffiti, with the. It sold half a million copies, becoming the movements bible and epitaph. The great new york subway map book moma design store. Thirty years later, this bible of street art has been updated with over seventy photographs not included in the original edition and new. Apr 19, 2016 scott rogowsky reads on the new york subway system. This threehour escapade stops at keith godards whimsical memories of 23rd street, a collection of mosaics depicting colorful chapeaus worn by celebrities who frequented the area between the 1880s and 1920s, including harry houdinis upsidedown hat. Adam mansbach is the author of more than a dozen books, including the. See more ideas about nyc subway art, nyc subway, subway art. The tour meets on the north side of the jacob mould fountain, facing city hall. Relive the glory days of 80s subway graffiti with these.
New afterwords continue the story, tracing the decline of the subway and graffiti scene in the late 1980s to its unexpected rebirth as a global art movement. Rich with illustrations and insight this book is the perfect resource for the medium. The wild style graffiti that was invented in new york city in the late 1970s and early 1980s is arguably the most influential art movement since pop art. Opened in 1904, the new york city subway is one of the worlds oldest public transit systems, one of the mostused, and the one with the most stations. Aug 25, 2014 new yorks citys subway system is an integral part of life for new yorkers. No street art enthusiasts collection can be complete without this book. Illustration from subway art by henry chalfant and martha cooper. The book, originally published in 1984, introduced new york citys graffiti to the world. Though its typically seen as just a public transit system, the new york city subway is an institution that includes hundreds of stations, with many showcasing public works of art. The neta 79foothigh tapering, truncated cone of reflective aluminum diamonds set in a stainlesssteel traceryappears on the cover of new york s underground art museum. New york city subway photography, volume one, 1970. The book that spread new yorks subway graffiti around the world.
New york city subway map subway map art map decor new york map new york city art subway map art new york city wall art nyc wunderkammerstudio 5 out of. Subway art 25th anniversary edition, thames and hudson, london and chronicle books. This new 198 page book includes two dozen unseen photographs alongside stunning hires images of masterpieces by some of the best pioneer writers to hit the new york subway trains in the early 1970s. Subway art is a collaborative book by martha cooper and henry chalfant, which documents the early history of the new york city graffiti movement. Princeton architectural press is publishing the first commercial version of his drawings for the general public in a volume called onetrack mind. Jan 05, 2016 subway art, originally published in 1984, introduced new york citys graffiti to the world. See more ideas about subway art, nyc subway and art. The new york city subway system is the largest in the world and with hundreds of art installations scattered throughout its 430 stations, its also one of the worlds largest public art. Subway art and history tour new york city tripadvisor. Survey of the history of all design aspects of the system including signage, ticket booths, cars, and maps. This site has the official subway maps, line maps, train and station information, mta twitter, mta contact information, metrocards, subway safety and popular tourist destinations. Spray can art, henry chalfant and james prigoff, thames and hudson, london and new york, 1987. Oct 08, 2015 one mans opus to new yorks subway art, decades in the making philip ashforth coppola sketching at the 86th street subway station in manhattan on sunday.
The true maybe story excellent hardcover book, also by paul shaw. But did you know the subway is home to many fine works of art. Its like a public library, but on the new york subway. Secrets of the nyc subways explores history and artwork of. The top nyc subway art installations time out new york. New york subway system transports over 5 million passengers every weekday and about 3 million passengers each day on the weekend. Thirty years later, this bible of street art has been updated with over seventy photographs not included in the original edition and new insights on an incredibly rich period for urban art and its legacy. Jul 23, 2016 author and transit expert oscar israelowitz knows a thing or two about the new york city transit system, and in his latest book, secrets of the new york city subways, he delves deep into the. Uncover the artistic history of the subway on this private tour including subterranean gems that even locals miss. The mostly true story of helvetica and the new york city subway an online article on the subway systems signage by paul shaw, great pictures of subway signage, history, etc. Books subway art, martha cooper and henry chalfant, thames and hudson, london, 1984, henry holt, new york, 1984. Depictions of trains, subway stations and the nyc skyline tell the story of how graphic designer massimo vignelli created a new subway map in 1972. It is known to be convenient, fast, relatively efficient but seldom visually appealing.
The new york city subway is not just a public transit system. Did you know that there are over 300 nyc subway stations with public works of art. Underground tour of the new york city subway in new york. In fact, there are several treasures by famed contemporary artists hidden in plain sight.
Among the latest additions to the west end line, on the platforms of six elevated stations, windscreen panels of laminated glass display lovely translucent imagery. Thames and hudson subway art, first published in 1984 and reissued now in a larger, lusher edition, is the bible of the new york. Jun 12, 2009 let me say this, subway art was the book that taught me the basic skills i needed to start creating graffiti letters in vancouver, canada back in the early 1980s. Do you know where the first subway line was located. In 1984 the groundbreaking subway art brought graffiti to the world, presenting stunning photographic documentation of the burgeoning movement in new york.
May 03, 2020 more than 200 poems and excerpts by writers including shakespeare, henry david thoreau, sylvia plath and robert frost have been displayed in new york subway cars, mr. Nyc subway art tour ride the subway with bronxborn guide darryl reilly to discover the riches of art underground. In new introductions, authors martha cooper and henry chalfant recall how they gained entry into the new york city graffiti community in the 1970s and 1980s. Top 10 subway art installations in nyc untapped new york. There are new books every day, and theyre there to be taken, read, shared, and most importantly, enjoyed. Every day, we and a bunch of book ninjas go out and leave some of our favorite books on the new york subway. In this video, i tour the mta and show you some of the public exhibitions of art in williamsburg, brooklyn, and manhattan. Coopers collaboration with henry chalfant, a photographer and filmmaker, captured graffitis golden and assaultive years. Travel tours subway art and history tour new york, ny. From union square, up to central park west, and back down to the villagechelsea border, subway art tour one is a unique survey of ten subway stations and their permanent art installations. We keep our museum guide filled with the best current nyc exhibits for kids and families.
Jan 15, 2016 subway art by henry chalfant and martha cooper. Apr 06, 2017 new york citys subway is full of great contemporary art. The new york city subway is a rapid transit system owned by the city of new york and leased to the new york city transit authority, a subsidiary agency of the staterun metropolitan transportation authority mta. In 1984, photographers martha cooper and henry chalfant captured the imagination of a generation with subway art, a groundbreaking book documenting the work of graffiti writers who illegally painted subway cars in new york city. Tile mosaics remain the preferred medium artwork in the 20th.
New york city subway art tour from the moment we descended the stairs from the warm summer sun into the warm summer subway tunnel, darryl pointed out highlights of the art that lines the walls and fills the halls of the ny subway system. You will discover a part of new york that few visitors or new yorkers take the time to see. Subway art paperback january 1, 1984 by martha cooper author. Henry chalfant traces the history of new york graffiti, shows a variety of painted subway cars, and desribes the graffiti writers and how they work.