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.(Biography provided by International Fine Arts Consortium - IFAC Arts)
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Artist: Al Diaz
Dealer: Gary Lichtenstein Editions
"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
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
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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.