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Al Diaz Art

American, b. 1959
Al Diaz is an influential, first generation New York City graffiti artist, who later became a text oriented street artist whose career spans 5 decades. Diaz is best known for his collaboration with Jean Michel Basquiat on SAMO(c), graffiti that appeared in lower Manhattan from 1977 to 1979. SAMO(c) initially known for its wit and sarcastic humor, became a globally recognized graffito after Basquiat’s rise to fame. Diaz currently works with the WET PAINT & Service Change Alert signs used throughout the New York City subway system — cutting out individual letters from multiple signs to create clever, surreal and sometimes poignant anagrams. The reworked signage is then posted back onto subway walls. His earlier WET PAINT work is featured in Nicholas Ganz’s new book “Street Messages”. Diaz exhibits regularly and has been a featured speaker on a variety of panel discussions, including at The New School, The Museum of the City of New York, NOLA Arts Festival in New Orleans, and The New York Public Library as part of a discussion panel on the Basquiat Notebooks. Al Diaz lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.
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Artist: Al Diaz
IT WILL NOT DISAPPEAR IF WE JUST IGNORE IT
By Al Diaz
Located in North Adams, MA
"IT WILL NOT DISAPPEAR IF WE JUST IGNORE IT," Al Diaz, 2022 Silkscreen on 290 gram Coventry Rag paper with hand deckled edges Dimensions: 18" x 37" An edition of 10 Signed and numbered by the Artist Note that the edition number you receive may be different than the one in the photograph. Al Díaz’s career spans five decades. Born and raised Puerto Rican in New York City, by age 15 he was an influential first-generation subway graffiti artist known as “BOMB-ONE.” His friendship and artistic collaboration with high school schoolmate Jean-Michel Basquiat on SAMO, (a late 70s Avant-garde graffiti tag project) has been noted often in contemporary art history. Díaz later contributed percussion to numerous musical recordings and performances, including Basquiat’s historic 1983 record, “Beat Bop,” (considered to be one of the earliest hip-hop albums). Díaz is sought-after as an expert of New York City counterculture art. He appears often in publications, as a highlighted speaker for a variety of panel discussions at universities and museums (including Smithsonian Institution, the Brooklyn Museum, The New School and Christie’s Education), and has been featured in several films, including Boom for Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat, BBC’s American Masters — Basquiat: Rage to Riches and Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child. In 2018, Díaz authored "SAMO …SINCE 1978", an in-depth, color illustrated history of the street art legacy that he began with Basquiat in the late 70s. A notebook that Díaz made with Basquiat in his teens is currently held in the collection of the Yale University Beinecke Library.
Category

2010s Contemporary Al Diaz Art

Materials

Screen

"ALL WAR IS IN BAD TASTE"
By Al Diaz
Located in North Adams, MA
"ALL WAR IS IN BAD TASTE," Al Diaz, 2022 Silkscreen on 320 gram Coventry Rag paper Dimensions: 14" x 20" Signed and numbered by the Artist in pencil An edition of 50 Al Díaz’s career spans five decades. Born and raised Puerto Rican in New York City, by age 15 he was an influential first-generation subway graffiti artist known as “BOMB-ONE.” His friendship and artistic collaboration with high school schoolmate Jean-Michel Basquiat on SAMO, (a late 70s Avant-garde graffiti tag project) has been noted often in contemporary art history. Díaz later contributed percussion to numerous musical recordings and performances, including Basquiat’s historic 1983 record, “Beat Bop,” (considered to be one of the earliest hip-hop albums...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Al Diaz Art

Materials

Other Medium

A Cerebral Assault
By Al Diaz
Located in New York, NY
Al Diaz A Cerebral Assault, 2019 Mixd media on canvas 12 x 10 in Al Diaz is an influential, first generation New York City graffiti artist, who later became a text oriented street a...
Category

2010s Contemporary Al Diaz Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Ghost Painting
By Al Diaz
Located in New York, NY
Ghost Painting 2021 mixed media on canvas 21 x 30 inches Al Diaz is an influential, first generation New York City graffiti artist, who later became a text oriented street artist wh...
Category

2010s Contemporary Al Diaz Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Forgotten Names and Places
By Al Diaz
Located in New York, NY
Al Diaz Forgotten Names and Places, 2019 Mixed media on canvas 30 x 40 in Al Diaz is an influential, first generation New York City graffiti artist, who later became a text oriented...
Category

2010s Contemporary Al Diaz Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Qualified Candidates
By Al Diaz
Located in New York, NY
Qualified Candidates 2020 mixed media on plywood 45 inch diameter Al Diaz is an influential, first generation New York City graffiti artist, who later became a text oriented street ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Al Diaz Art

Materials

Mixed Media

Related Items
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Located in New York, NY
This signed and numbered limited edition print was commissioned by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in 2012. This impression has never been framed and is in excellent condition. Note: Framed image is for reference purposes only. Artist's Statement: "When I was asked to make a print to benefit Lincoln Center I was both honored and intimidated. I was reminded of my moving to New York City in 1997. My student loans had yet to kick in and I was so broke that I really couldn’t afford much of a night on the town. So instead, as an alternative, I’d meet friends outside of Lincoln Center. There we’d spend a few hours socializing and drinking alongside the lights, on marble steps and by the fountain. I always remember that time. "When I begin to make a work of art I begin with the concept. I play word games and I try to loosen up my associations and assumptions. I make visual and verbal connections. Sometimes these are very personal and frustratingly obscure and sometimes more public. In this case I got stuck on cheese. Why cheese? I remember noticing when I moved to New York that people in New York (at least in the art world) loved cheese. Whatever the event or occasion there it was. And someone was always explaining what he or she liked about this or that particular cheese. I’m a natural mimic and so I paid attention, it comes from moving around a lot. From being the 'new kid.' So I kept mental notes on what was 'good' and more importantly what was 'bad.' You can tell a lot about a person by their opinions on cheese. (The truth is I’m not a huge fan of cheese. I believe I have a lactose intolerance.) So all this is to say in my mind it’s forever linked with connoisseurship and culture. I know these days things have changed. But much of my art concerns itself with outdated notions of 'fancy.' The status symbols of the past I knew when it felt like it mattered. I’m aware that my insecurities are what drove me forward. But that’s one way to learn. You could say the print is of artisanal cheeses—aspirational cheeses. "And then there’s the fun part—adding the text. Which is like my last word on the my artwork; the punch line—the commentary—the poetry. I had a number of ideas but I went with this one—Immature, Artist. Because artists take time. And some of us need reminding." -Matthew Brannon, December 1, 2012 Permanent Collections: Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, Rennie Collection, Vancouver, Canada, Ringler Collection, Zurich, Switzerland, Rubell Family Collection, Miami, FL, MADRE Museum, Naples, Italy, The Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Arts, Cornell Fine Arts Museum, Rollins College...
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Bill Schenck, Last Horizon, Serigraph
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Previously Available Items
Alien Cubism #3
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Located in New York, NY
Al Diaz Alien Cubism 3, 2018 Mixed media on sheet metal 24 x 18 inches Al Diaz is an influential, first generation New York City graffiti artist, who later became a text oriented st...
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2010s Contemporary Al Diaz Art

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Mixed Media

Al Diaz art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Al Diaz art available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Al Diaz in mixed media, fabric, linen and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Al Diaz art, so small editions measuring 10 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jo Baskerville, David Kramer, and Casey Vogt. Al Diaz art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $450 and tops out at $13,000, while the average work can sell for $3,750.

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