The most in-depth and comprehensive survey of the life and career of one of the pioneering artists of the original graffiti generation. Having forged his graphic style painting subways in New York in the late 1970s, Futura was among the first graffiti artists to be shown in contemporary galleries in the early 1980s, where his paintings shared space with works by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Kenny Scharf. As the commercialization of street culture in the 1990s inspired collaborations with fashion and lifestyle brands, Futura's work moved toward a more refined expression of his abstract graffiti style. Commissions from era-defining brands such as A Bathing Ape, Stüssy, Supreme, and Mo' Wax saw his artwork canonized as an elemental component of the street aesthetic. Collected here, among never-before-published reproductions of earlier paintings and drawings, is an archive of personal photography and ephemera that reveals how integral Futura has been to the evolution of street art and culture. Guided through more than forty years of work, and with interviews with key players in Futura's career, this is at once a definitive monograph of a legend of contemporary art and an indispensable chapter in the history of graffiti.

From the 1980s until today, including backstage images of the artist at work through the decades and his artworks. Catherine Carrie, who photographed Futura and the family over the course of 35 years, sharing it today to illustrate the life and art of one of the greatest artist nowadays. 'As abstract graffiti artist Futura opened doors to a new form of creativity, paving the road for the most important art movement of the century to blossom. His contribution and the way he inspired then generations of street artists turned him into an American legend. A legend who's very much alive and whose family spirit and values have never change, making him also one of the most gracious artists to work with' adds gallery owner Magda Danysz who has met with Futura in 1991 in her teenage years and has written numerous text about Futura's art.

Pionnier de la rencontre entre le graffiti et l'écosystème formel des galeries, l'artiste Futura (né Leonard Hilton McGurr) est connu dès les années 70 pour son approche radicale de la rue, introduisant l'abstraction dans ce qui était alors une discipline entièrement basée sur les lettres. Son travail sur toile a attiré l'attention dans les années 80 et l'a consacré comme une voix de premier plan au sein d'un mouvement artistique plus large comprenant des artistes tels que Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring et Kenny Scharf. La créativité de Futura, qui s'exprime sur la toile, le papier, la sculpture, la photographie, le graphisme et les grandes fresques murales, brille par sa composition cinétique, sa qualité élémentaire et ses gestes totalement originaux. "NO GUERRA est une représentation créative de concepts, d'individus, de lieux et d'idées. merci pour vos considérations anti-guerre..." LEONARD HILTON McGURR alias FUTURA.

How hip-hop culture and graffiti electrified the art of Jean-Michel Basquiat and his contemporaries in 1980s New York In the early 1980s, art and writing labeled as graffiti began to transition from New York City walls and subway trains onto canvas and into art galleries. Young artists who freely sampled from their urban experiences and their largely Black, Latinx and immigrant histories infused the downtown art scene with expressionist, pop and graffiti-inspired compositions. Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960-88) became the galvanizing, iconic frontrunner of this transformational and insurgent movement in contemporary American art, which resulted in an unprecedented fusion of creative energies that defied longstanding racial divisions. Writing the Future features Basquiat's works in painting, sculpture, drawing, video, music and fashion, alongside works by his contemporaries--and sometimes collaborators--A-One, ERO, Fab 5 Freddy, Futura, Keith Haring, Kool Koor, LA2, Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones, Rammellzee and Toxic. Throughout the 1980s, these artists fueled new directions in fine art, design and music, reshaping the predominantly white art world and driving the now-global popularity of hip-hop culture. Writing the Future, published to accompany a major exhibition, contextualizes Basquiat's work in relation to his peers associated with hip-hop culture. It also marks the first time Basquiat's extensive, robust and reflective portraiture of his Black and Latinx friends and fellow artists has been given prominence in scholarship on his oeuvre. With contributions from Carlo McCormick, Liz Munsell, Hua Hsu, J. Faith Almiron and Greg Tate, Writing the Future captures the energy, inventiveness and resistance unleashed when hip-hop hit the city.

"A collection of fascinating quotations from the legendary artist and graffiti pioneer"--

It's everywhere, including the moon (on the commemorative plaque left by Apollo 11 astronauts), Nike sneakers, the artworks of Barbara Kruger, Ed Ruscha, and Jenny Holzer, 2001: A Space Odyssey credits, Domino's Pizza boxes, Absolut Vodka bottles, and Red Bull cans. Richard Nixon used it for his presidential campaign, as did Hillary Clinton. Indeed, Futura is one of the most used fonts in the world today—the typeface of modern design—more so even than Helvetica. This fascinating book explores the cultural history and uses of a face that's so common you might not notice, until you start looking, and then you can't escape it. Douglas Thomas traces Futura from its Bauhaus-inspired origin in Paul Renner's 1924 design, to its current role as the go-to choice for corporate work, logos, motion pictures, and advertisements. Never Use Futura is illuminating, sometimes playful, reading, not just for type nerds, but for anyone interested in how typefaces are used, take on meaning, and become a language of their own.

A catalog of an exhibition that surveys the history of international graffiti and street art.