In 2009 Tony Goldman, a real estate developer, bought up a run-down section of Miami just north of downtown, Wynwood. It was a ten-square block of old warehouses with lots of empty wall
space and few people. He decided to try and revive it; Tony invited famous street artists from
all over the world to come and paint on the walls. In conjunction with Art Basel /Miami Beach,
the murals became an enormous success and drew vast crowds.
"Boy with Tongue" by Sipros, a California street artist.
This is a new parking ramp with a pierced aluminum skin. Perhaps success will destroy
the event. This year, more than 50% of the walls I once enjoyed have been torn down to
make way for high-rise condominiums. The rest won't last much longer.
PezBarcelona. "Smiling Fish." Pez is a Spanish street artist from Barcelona.
His works are found all over Europe and South America.
Street artists come from all over the world in late November each year to make new
murals in time for Art Basel / Miami Beach andArt Miami, which are held
the first week in December. The artists are not paid. The street artists are the most
famous and well known in the world. Wynwood becomes an
international fair where they meet each other and often work together.
The pictures I took are mostly of new works this year, although I also shot a few old
favorites like this one of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, two of the
"Grandfathers of Graffiti Art." Basquiat died of a drug overdose many years ago, but
his works these days sell for millions. One went for $17 million at Art Basel.
Seth GlobalArtist. "The Children."
All of these works are created with cans of spray paint. Many other works by each of
these artists can be found on the internet.
The Center of Wynwood is an enclosed area of six courtyards surrounded by vast amounts of
wall space, all owned by Tony Goldman Properties. Tony died a few years ago. In general,
this year, only a few new murals appeared here. The effort seems waning. This famous
mural at the entrance is by New York street artist, Kenny Scharf.
Kenny Scharf mural. The work is so popular, Kenny has repainted it several times.
But it is beginning to seem dated; a replacement is needed.
Shepard Fairey. "Tribute to Tony Goldman." Fairey is one of the most famous artists
working at Wynwood. He has repainted this wall several times. In the center are portraits
of Tony Goldman in his cowboy hat and Jean-Michel Basquiat. But there are many
other images, often relating to social issues and environmental concerns, which many
of the artists display. Thee works are watched by armed guards at night.
Pixel Pancho. "Garden and Birdcage." The door slides open to reveal a gift shop with
paintings and prints by the various artists in Wynwood Walls.
"The Eyes." There are guided walking tours, as well as tours on golf carts offered to
visitors. There are many small restaurants. There is an enormous amount of
construction.
A new mural - "The Diving Alien" by DEIH.
Tomokazu Matsuyama. "The Adventure Boys." Japanese street artist.
Tomokazu is a Japanese street artist currently living and working in New York.
He makes use of Japanese-style flowers and images and stories and comic book techniques..
"The Six Women" is by Tristan Eaton. Eaton grew up in Hollywood, London, and
Detroit. He pursued street art as a troubled teenager and during this time he painted everything
from billboards to dumpsters in the urban landscape. He is a self-proclaimed skateboarding punk
who as a teenager was arrested for various crimes including shoplifting and tagging with graffiti.
During these times, art became his saving grace and it often allowed him to get off jail
by providing artistic evidence to judges, principles, and other characters of authority.
Tristan Eaton designed his first toy for the Fisher Price at the young age of 18. Since then,
he has become an entire icon in the designer toys world.
A new mural - "Alligator, Woman and Ribbons."
A new wall by JonOne, entitled "USA." This wall always seems to be painted in calligraphic
patterns, but JonOne is new to the wall. He is a street artist from Miami.
The complete wall, "USA," by JonOne.
Close-up of "USA."
Kobra. "Children of the World." Kobra is from Brazil and is one of the most famous street
artists in the world. He has created more than 500 murals in Brazil, all free to be enjoyed by
everyone, and has murals in more than 50 countries around the world
Another view of the mural, including the fifth child on the right.
The specific area of Wynwood Walls is lighted at night for visitors.
This is an art gallery. The wall is "Faces of Mankind" by Portuguese artist VHILS.
The image is made by first stuccoing the whole wall, and then going back with screw driver
and hammer and chipping holes into the wall. The artist compares this to what an
archeologist does, digging into the present to find the past. He finds a close connection
between creation and destruction.
Close-up of wall.
Close-up of faces made by scratching away the wall.
Inside the gallery are a number of smaller works by VHILS. These are
made from sheets of styrofoam 18 inches thick and carved into.
Ron English is a street artist who has painted several different murals on this wall over
the years, always featuring his "Little Hulk" and including painted ground and a rock
for little kids to pose on.
Leon Keer. "Anamorphic wall - "Awesome Me." These artists are highly skilled,
and this is the ultimate in super-realism. This the flat wall of the side of a sunglasses
shop. Only the windows are real. Everything else is painted to look three dimensional,
but is actually flat on the wall or sidewalk. Keer is from Holland.
Leon Keer. Netherlands. "AweSoMe." This is all a flat wall painting except for the windows.
"Protect the Wildlife." Many of the artists show concern for the environment.
Another portion of "Save the Wildlife."
"All Art Begins with a Pencil" is a new mural on wall and roll-up door to warehouse.
Such small buildings will not last long now.
"Four Eyes."
This is an art supply warehouse; several artists worked on the wall. Sipros created the
Man with Ears" on the left, and other artists painted the other images.
Sipros and the "Bushwick Collective" of artists are some of the most prolific in Wynwood.
Street artists all signed their works prominently.
"The Green Unicorn and Friends."
"Flower Faces."
"Mandala, Motorcycle, Lotus, and Meditation."
"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance."
Many of these murals are in small courtyards/parking areas by buildings, and you cannot
get entire image in one picture - the space is too small.
Wall with Sipros Boy. Sipros is famous for his large faces which look directly out at you.
Sipros' "Boy with Ears" and "Warrior with Mask in Canoe."
Sipros. "Boy with Ears."
Sipros. "Boy with Tongue Out." This is one of the most popular murals in Wynwood
and is along a small parking space beside a warehouse for a map maker.
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