Graffiti’s in the house
Like hip-hop and Madonna, graffiti would never last, they said. They were wrong. Spray paint, doodles and block lettering have become part of the vocabulary of contemporary art, from paintings at L.A. galleries such as New Image Art to the logo of Burbank’s Urban Outfitters.
These vibrant graphics are also making their way from public places to private spaces. A variety of recently launched home products — including Day-Glo plastic tables and magazine racks from Umbra and pillows designed to look like cans of spray paint by the tagger Slix (available at Munky King, Los Angeles, [213] 620-8787) — loudly shout, “We love the ‘80s.”
Fittingly, the cartoon creations of Los Angeles-born artist Kenny Scharf have found their way onto refrigerator magnets and a forthcoming line of porcelain figurines and coffee mugs (www.bozart.com). The signature styles of two of the late Peter Pans of post-Pop Art, Keith Haring and Stephen Sprouse, are also experiencing a well-deserved revival.
Haring’s Pop Shop, now in its second decade, offers the artist’s simplistic human forms as kiddie seats that go with footed tables, all in primary colors with his instantly recognizable hand-rendered black outlines.
New York fashion designer Sprouse, who died this month at age 50, used a handwritten scrawl throughout his career, whether designing for Target, reinvigorating the Louis Vuitton bag or tagging camouflage upholstery fabric for Knoll Inc.
The Sanrio Co., which produces Hello Kitty merchandise, has imprinted Sprouse-styled lettering on club chairs for children ($139, from https://www.bestpriceseating.com ; [812] 539-3032).
Although the bright colors and bold designs speak loudly to children, they shout out to the now-adult homeboys and homegirls who grew up with graffiti. The Hello Kitty print also comes on a grown-up computer chair ($114.88 at https://www.dmart2000.com ) and on black and silver glitter pillows that would look at home on a sleek leather sofa.
Need further proof? Take a look at the new Calvin Klein Home tabletop line, which features a splashy dish pattern called “The Graffiti Collection.”
