Public Intervention: Art of the Street
Online Auction: 24 September–1 October 2021 • 10:00 AM EDT • New York

Public Intervention: Art of the Street 24 September–1 October 2021 • 10:00 AM EDT • New York

S otheby’s is pleased to present Public Intervention: Art of the Street, a first-of-its-kind online auction celebrating the first generation of New York graffiti and street artists of the 1980s, the iconoclasts who pioneered the style of street art that has become a global staple of popular culture and an increasing source of inspiration in the world of Contemporary Art.

Open for bidding on Sothebys.com from 24 September – 1 October, the sale presents works by legendary artists such as Lee Quiñones, Rammellzee. Lady Pink, DONDI, Keith Haring, Richard Hambleton, KAWS and Kenny Scharf. Anchoring the sale is an outstanding selection of works from the Estate of Richard Hambleton, the enigmatic artist whose haunting shadow portraits helped define the urban interventionist spirit of street art in New York during the early 1980s, with a portion of the Estate’s proceeds from the sale to benefit Arts Education at the New Museum of Contemporary Art. Highlights also include the most important work by Rammellzee to come to auction, a group of early tags and a notebook from KAWS that illuminate how an earlier generation of street artists inspired his aesthetic, and a detailed study for a subway mural by graffiti legend Lee Quiñones.

Highlights

Graffiti Legend Lee Quiñones on the Golden Age of Street Art View Interview
The City as Canvas: The Underground Birth of Graffiti in New York View Article

Dondi White, Master Cylinder

View Private Sale

Dondi White
Master Cylinder
acrylic on canvas
71½ by 104 in. 181.6 by 264.2 cm.
Executed in 1984.
Price upon request

Stay informed with Sotheby’s top stories, videos, events & news.

Receive the best from Sotheby’s delivered to your inbox.

By subscribing you are agreeing to Sotheby’s Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe from Sotheby’s emails at any time by clicking the “Manage your Subscriptions” link in any of your emails.

Sell with Sotheby's

Sell with Sotheby's

Curious to know if your item is suitable for one of our upcoming sales?

Provide information and share images to request an online estimate now.

Start Selling
arrow Created with Sketch. Back To Top