Should Graffiti Be Valued as Art? Without a Doubt. by Brianna Crowe

Picture this: You’re walking down the street, the drab gray and brown walls of the shops boring you to pieces. Something catches your eye- there’s a group of people gathering around, murmuring about something on the wall. Pushing through the crowds, you catch a glimpse of a beautifully painted and vibrant work of art. What are you seeing? Well, it’s likely that you’re seeing a work of graffiti— possibly something like a Reys work, or perhaps Seen UA. Both of these artists create graffiti, yes, but their work should be valued as classic works.

The use of graffiti enables artists to convey their opinions and emotions freely, more often than not being stunning sights. For instance, a street artist known as Banksy creates works that show how sad it is that so many trees and other natural places have been removed to make new shops and other places. Banksy’s works are so admired that they are able to be auctioned off if the owner of the building can keep the art intact— according to The New York Times’s Scott Reyburn, the most expensive Banksy piece was “sold for 9.9 million pounds with fees, or about $12.1 million, at Sotheby’s”. This shows that people are really willing to pay large sums of money for little more than paint. This also proves that graffiti isn’t just something that will harm businesses; in fact, it draws in more customers and gives profit to the owner of the business. Why shouldn’t all graffiti art be viewed similarly? Although it’s true that some artists use inappropriate language and imagery, more often than not these people use the streets to create art that is different and unique from typical classic and modern works.

Graffiti can also be used for other things besides a release of thought. One example of this is “Kilroy was here”, seen in many places during WWII. Like many graffiti artists, whoever first created Kilroy remains a mystery. This is a case of why graffiti art is just as valuable as classic works because it changed the war itself, helping the Allies gain a bit more of a foothold and begin to change the tide of the war. When Kilroy first appeared, Germans began to speculate that there was a spy from the Allies amongst them, creating copious amounts of tension and mistrust between the Axis Powers.

All in all, graffiti art is an amazing way for people to artistically show their mind and should absolutely be considered art.

Works Cited

Reyburn, Scott. “Banksy Painting ‘Devolved Parliament’ Sells for $12 Million.” The New York Times, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2019/10/03/arts/design/banksy-devolved-parliament-auction.amp.html.

Whipps, Heather. “How ‘Kilroy Was Here’ Changed the World.” LiveScience, 15 Sept. 2008, https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livescience.com/amp/7577-kilroy-changed-world.html.

“Art or Vandalism: The Street Art Debate.” The University of Glasgow, https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/art-crime/0/steps/11888.