Graffiti: The Auction

Exhibition catalog for an auction of graffiti art held at Guernsey’s on June 14-15, 2000. Square 8vo (8.75” x 8.75”), printed wrappers, 144 pages, fully illustrated, primarily in color. While the cover title (Graffiti: The Auction) might in other circumstances be considered hyperbole, in this case it was merely descriptive, as this landmark auction was the first dedicated solely to graffiti. It featured work by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, KAWS, BLADE, Lady Pink, Martha Cooper, Henry Chalfant, Kenny Scharf, Phase 2, and a host of others. While the auction itself fell well short of financial expectations, the exhibition was deemed extraordinary (see the review by art historian Alan Moore, with the first line “It was a slaughter on Lafayette Street…”). Moore’s conclusion was prescient: “While adventurous patrons are now in short supply, graffiti’s time will come.” And the Guernsey’s catalog remains a touchstone. An exceptionally clean and bright copy, almost near fine. Scarce thus.