To some observers graffiti is a form of public art, continuing the tradition, for example, of the murals commissioned by the U.S. Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project during the Great Depression and the work of Diego Rivera in Mexico. Like the murals of these artists, great works of graffiti can beautify a neighbourhood and speak to the interests of a specific community. For example, the graffiti in many Hispanic neighbourhoods in the United States is quite elaborate and is regarded by many as a form of urban art. The question of whether such work is an innovative art form or a public nuisance has aroused much debate.
Graffiti became notoriously prominent in New York City in the late 20th century. Large elaborate multicoloured graffiti created with spray paint on building walls and subway cars came to define the urban landscape. The art world’s fascination with artists who functioned outside traditional gallery channels stimulated an interest in this form of self-expression. In the 1980s New York artists such as Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat gained notoriety for their graffiti and parlayed this recognition into successful careers as painters represented by top galleries.
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