From Style Writing to Art

"From Style Writing to Art" is the first Street Art anthology ever published. This book's goal is to explore the reasons why style writing as some call it, graffiti, or street art is turning out to be the major art movement at this turn of the century. From graffiti pioneers in the 60s, to how street art branched into the art world during the 80s, to whatever new issues and practices have emerged since the 90s, to which artists make a difference, the book covers it all. The book represents a comprehensive survey of the street-art movement, from its beginnings with the graffiti pioneers of the 1960s, to its extension into the art world during the 1980s, on to its increased role in popular culture today. Spanning over four decades, the book is divided into three sections each containing detailed accounts of the emergence of different styles and techniques. Each period is complete with 2-3 page biographies for each considered artist, covering their beginnings, their artistic career, along with a personal style review, as well as an artwork analysis section. Overall, the book offers 50 complete biographies of top street artists from Seen to JR, via such as Miss Van, JonOne, Shepard Fairey, Quik, Blade, Doze Green, and Keith Haring whose work and career is thoroughly explored. There is major talent in the history of graffiti. And this talent is, in the end, the only answer to the infamous "But... is it really art?" question. Out of this both compact and diffuse form of expression, real art practices have emerged, absolutely unquestionable in terms of quality and longevity. This book is about why this is Art. This new edition takes one of DRAGO's most popular titles and adds a new and improved cover and an entirely new section with 16 extra pages dedicated to the street-art scene in China. From Style Writing to Art is the first Street Art anthology ever published.
Danysz follows the graffiti pioneers in the 1960s, documents how street art branched into the art world during the 1980s and examines the new issues and practices that have emerged since the 1990s. Out of this compact and diffused form of expression, real art practices have emerged, absolutely unquestionable in terms of quality and longevity. With artwork and biographies from 50 acclaimed street artists, including Miss Van, JonOne, Shepard Fairey and Quik, this anthology should be on every street art fan's bookshelf.
Magda Danysz, a Paris based art dealer, started out in the 1990s when she opened up her first art space as a student. After graduating in 1998, she opened up her Paris gallery in a brand new space. She curated projects in her gallery with artists from various disciplines, from street art to digital art. She consulted for many different organisations including positions with the Ministry of Culture, Christie's, the Théâtre Marigny, the Nantes Museum, and the Louvre. Danysz has also taught cultural policies and economics at Sciences Po in Paris since 2001. Some of the talents discovered by Danysz include Shepard Fairey, JonOne, Seen, Miss Van, Erwin Olaf, and Ultralab. She has also participated in many art fairs around the world including Bologna, Brussels, New York, and even Miami. She helped to found Paris-based contemporary art fair, ShowOff, which has been held every year since 2006. Since January 2009 Danysz has held the position of Vice President of Fashion Group International of Pairs. In June 2009 she was appointed to direct the building's Bund 18 gallery in Shanghai, which then became then MD Gallery in its 1000 m² new location. In addition, she has published an extensive anthology about street art From Style Writing to Art: a Street Art Anthology. In 2010 she also helped to launch the Ai Ling Foundation for the arts in Shanghai, China.