London Street Art [Hardcover]

Alex MacNaughton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Street Art | Publication Date: September 30, 2006

This first-ever guide to focus solely on London street art proves that the cityÂ’s graffiti culture is clearly thriving. Shot in a riot of color by press photographer Alex MacNaughton, London Street Art presents a broad spectrum of writers and graffiti artists from crews all over London, including Hoxton, Shoreditch, Camden, and Hackney. Providing a lasting record of the best writers on the London scene, it captures pieces that last only a matter of hours or days before they are removed. From vast free masterpieces on walls, quirky stencils on doorways and pavements, to subtle stickers, tags and signatures, London Street Art is as hilarious as it is political, and showcases some of the most current, exciting and fresh urban art forms in the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The London Street Art book will satiate a craving for dirty, dark corners laced with rainbow colours.' -- Knowledge, September 2006

'This book is often humorous and deeply political providing a lasting record of the best artists of the now.' -- ATM Magazine, September/October 2006

'This handy little book marks a moment in time and can't fail to stir even the most conservative heads.' --Blowback Magazine, September 2006

'Prestel is the award-winning leader in art, photography and design publishing. Their new pocket-sized Street Art series has seen press photographer Alex MacNaughton explore graffiti in Europe, documenting throw-ups and murals throughout Berlin and London.' --Pimp Magazine, September 2006

'Following on from their great book 'Graffiti NYC,' the publishers of Prestel demonstrate with 'London Street Art' that they've really got graffiti publications on lock. This is another great collection of images, in a nicely sized hardback format, showcasing many types of street art on a variety of surfaces throughout many locations of the UK.' --Rapnews.co.uk, September 17, 2006

About the Author

ALEX MACNAUGHTON is a freelance photographer and member of the British Press Photographers Association.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Prestel USA (September 30, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3791336746
• ISBN-13: 978-3791336749
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #628,430 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Provocative Collection of Street Art, March 19, 2011

By 

Dr. Bojan Tunguz (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: London Street Art (Hardcover)

Graffiti, at its best can be a very interesting art form - both in terms of the visual style and the message that it often conveys. At its worst, however, it can ruin a very nice downtown building and make all neighborhoods seem run-down and uninviting. For various reasons the more artful graffiti seem to be much more prevalent in Europe than in America, or at least that is my impression. This short book is a collection of 90 or so different artful graffiti from the streets of London. The images seem to have been selected for their visual impact rather than for the messages they convey, although in many cases the two go hand in hand. The book is stylistically well done and makes a neat alternative coffee-table book. My only two criticisms are that it is much too short and that there are no contextual explanations for any of the artwork. For instance, I would have liked to know where particular graffiti was located, in case I want to see it firsthand one day when I visit London.