scorecard20 striking pieces of street art all New Yorkers should see before they disappear
  1. Home
  2. travel
  3. 20 striking pieces of street art all New Yorkers should see before they disappear

20 striking pieces of street art all New Yorkers should see before they disappear

Thanks to the radical (and often illegal) nature of the medium, street artists tend to be enigmatic characters with provocative perspectives and political messages. This chimney in Long Island City is decorated with an austere, pensive piece by brothers and artists Icy and Sot.

20 striking pieces of street art all New Yorkers should see before they disappear

Buff Monster's eerie creations, like this eyeball-filled wall, are both creepy and striking. "As the empire city, New York City attracts the best of the best and all eyes are directed here," Litvin said.

Buff Monster

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Artist: Buff Monster

Story: Buff Monster is a popular artist famous for his signature use of the color pink. Over the last 15 years, he's crossed over as both a street artist and gallery artist, and his meticulously executed paintings have been shown in galleries around the world.

Brazilian artist Alexandre Keto puts up stylized murals like this one in Long Island City, drawing attention to race and class issues.

Brazilian artist Alexandre Keto puts up stylized murals like this one in Long Island City, drawing attention to race and class issues.

Location: Long Island City, Queens

Artist: Alexandre Keto

Story: As an artist and educator, Alexandre Keto uses bold, stylized portraits to highlight contemporary social issues.

Jerkface is a master of cartoon characters. See: this East Village wall, plastered in an army of faceless Charlie Browns.

Jerkface is a master of cartoon characters. See: this East Village wall, plastered in an army of faceless Charlie Browns.

Location: East Village, Manhattan

Artist: Jerkface

Story: Cartoonish characters are the subject of the prolific artist Jerkface, and you can find his work all over the city.

This striking graphic piece by Chilean and Swedish artists plays hide-and-seek with viewers. "At its ideal, street art is an unfiltered and non-curated art genre that breaks boundaries of context that are imposed on traditional art by the authorities and by the structure of the art establishment itself," Litvin said.

This striking graphic piece by Chilean and Swedish artists plays hide-and-seek with viewers. "At its ideal, street art is an unfiltered and non-curated art genre that breaks boundaries of context that are imposed on traditional art by the authorities and by the structure of the art establishment itself," Litvin said.

Location: Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Artists: Dasic Fernández and Rubin415

Story: Dasic Fernández is a Chilean artist — now a native New Yorker — whose works are often bold and colorful. Swedish Rubin415 is a master at painting graffiti characterized by geometrical and abstract shapes; he has painted around the world.

The Lower East Side has a high concentration of street art worth a visit; this wall boasts works by pun master Hanksy (left) and muralist Magda Love (right). At left, Hanksy's social media sensation "Dump Trump."

The Lower East Side has a high concentration of street art worth a visit; this wall boasts works by pun master Hanksy (left) and muralist Magda Love (right). At left, Hanksy

Location: Lower East Side, Manhattan

Artists: Hanksy and Magda Love

Story: Satirical artist Hanksy uses humor to lampoon popular culture and politics. Magda Love, meanwhile, is an Argentinian artist known for her colorful street art and big public works with colorful narratives.

This Harlem building has been given the Lunar New Year treatment, decorated with a striking mash-up of birds all joined into an avian composition.

This Harlem building has been given the Lunar New Year treatment, decorated with a striking mash-up of birds all joined into an avian composition.

Location: Harlem, Manhattan

Artist: Lunar New Year

Story: Lunar New Year's artwork and murals make statements by referencing politics, injustice, and cultural identity, turning invisible stories visible.

If you've seen the iconic Banksy-focused documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop", then you've heard of Invader, who puts up pixelated tile compositions in cities around the world. This one is on 14th Street in Manhattan.

If you

Location:

Artist: Invader

Story: Invader, who is French, always appears behind a mask. Since 1998, he has developed a large-scale project that involves depositing these "Space Invader" characters around the world.

Zeso's distinct style is on display all over the city. Here, a many-headed, many-armed angel with skulls as faces breaks it down on a complex turntable.

Zeso

Location: East Village, Manhattan

Artist: Zeso

Story: Zeso is a street and graffiti artist whose explosive, colorful, and often macabre works can be found throughout New York City.

Here, a truck decorated by artist Cern cruises through the city.

Here, a truck decorated by artist Cern cruises through the city.

Location: Unspecified

Artist: Cern

Story: Cern is a native New Yorker, born and raised in Queens, who got his start writing graffiti in the early '90s and has been involved in the street art scene ever since.

bunnyM's intricate fine art work can be seen all over the city, including on this doorway in SoHo.

bunnyM

Location: SoHo, Manhattan

Artist: bunnyM

Story: bunnyM is a fine artist and painter. Her works range in size from small stickers to large-scale murals. They're incredibly intricate in detail, appealing to both the casual viewer and hardcore art fans.

If you ride the subway, keep a look out for this tongue-in-cheek work by Al Diaz and Jilly Ballistic.

If you ride the subway, keep a look out for this tongue-in-cheek work by Al Diaz and Jilly Ballistic.

Location: Unspecified

Artists: Al Diaz and Jilly Ballistic

Story: Al Diaz is best known for working with famous artist Jean Michel Basquiat on lower Manhattan graffiti in the 1970s. A prolific first-generation NYC subway graffiti artist, he later became a text-oriented street artist and now works with "wet paint" signs you can see around the New York City subway. Jilly Ballistic, meanwhile, is a paste-up artist who tags subway platforms and train cars with witty images and text.

Toofly has an easily-recognizable, colorful style featuring highly stylized female portraits.

Toofly has an easily-recognizable, colorful style featuring highly stylized female portraits.

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Artist: Toofly

Story: The bright works of the Ecuadorean muralist Toofly are almost always portraits of powerful, inspirational women, which turn humdrum city walls into colorful homages to female beauty. She's painted large-scale works around the world.

Bright colors and a glossy finish give the energetic work of TATS CRU a comic-book feel, like this action scene featuring the Statue of Liberty in distress.

Bright colors and a glossy finish give the energetic work of TATS CRU a comic-book feel, like this action scene featuring the Statue of Liberty in distress.

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Artist: TATS CRU

Story: A Bronx-based, iconic veteran graffiti crew, TATS CRU works in a classic graffiti style and has inspired generations of graffiti and street artists who've followed in their irreverent, cartoonish footsteps.

New York is notoriously fast-paced, making this "Keep moving backward" sign by Russell King all the more ironic.

New York is notoriously fast-paced, making this "Keep moving backward" sign by Russell King all the more ironic.

Location: Lower East Side, Manhattan

Artist: Russell King

Story: Russell King is a self-described "uncommissioned urban art philosopher." His works can be found on anything from newspaper dispensary boxes to bolt-up signs.

Two artists teamed up to create a psychedelic, "Avatar"-like dreamscape on this wall in Bushwick.

Two artists teamed up to create a psychedelic, "Avatar"-like dreamscape on this wall in Bushwick.

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Artists: Joel Bergner and Chris Soria

Story: Joel Bergner is an artist who has exhibited and painted throughout the world. His trademark is an eclectic mix of colors and intense imagery, exploring stories of marginalized people. Chris Soria uses complex geometrical shapes and colors in his works to produce unexpected patterns.

This three-eyed monster on a shop front in Bushwick is a classic of the artist Steiner.

This three-eyed monster on a shop front in Bushwick is a classic of the artist Steiner.

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Artist: Steiner

Story: Steiner is known for his beautiful, colorful — and often scary — larger-than-life monsters.

A graffiti portrait by LMNOPI on a wooden surface has a more subtle approach, the colors blending seamlessly into the wall.

A graffiti portrait by LMNOPI on a wooden surface has a more subtle approach, the colors blending seamlessly into the wall.

Location: Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Artist: LMNOPI

Story: Artist and activist LMNOPI addresses social and political issues through her work. Her subjects are often portraits of overlooked communities — women, immigrants, people of color — in earth-toned compositions.

In Bushwick, this wall mural of two girls by Chris Stain and Billy Mode is a reflection of the community's own residents.

In Bushwick, this wall mural of two girls by Chris Stain and Billy Mode is a reflection of the community

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Artists: Chris Stain and Billy Mode

Story: Chris Stain seeks to illustrate "the triumph of the human spirit" as experienced by those in underrepresented urban and rural environments. Baltimore-based Billy Mode specializes in abstract, graffiti-inspired art and complex murals.

This red-headed pinup woman is the signature work of C3; keep a look out for her around the city.

This red-headed pinup woman is the signature work of C3; keep a look out for her around the city.

Location: Bushwick, Brooklyn

Artist: C3

Story: Look for the subtle pin-ups of the UK artist C3, whose stickers and paste-ups can be found decorating walls in unexpected spots.

Advertisement