“A fine document of an interesting culture and legacy.”
—Steve Grody, author of Graffiti L.A.: Street Styles and Art
“What makes this project so provocative is how it draws connections between 17th-century vernacular art practices, the social/collaborative nature of contemporary street art, and the importance of documentation and archives.”
~An Xiao Mina, Hyperallergic
“This Getty Black Book not only serves to offer its audience a historic compilation of this unique Los Angeles art culture, but, also, the sentiment of each stand-alone artist.”
~Karen McDonough, UP Magazine
“Presumably convinced that a serious moment was at hand, the graffiti artists signed on and were each given several sheets of paper to distribute among their worthy colleagues. . . . There were two results, the first being a handsome volume containing all of the work. Placing graffiti art into a book is like pinning a butterfly in a display case: the ephemeral is now enshrined into the permanent.”
~Bondo Wyszpolski, Easy Reader News
“Inspired by the blank sketchbooks (often called black books or piece books) that graffers carry, share and collaborate together on, as well as the 17th century European autograph books known as liber amicorum (Latin for “book of friends”), this new volume represents the collaborative nature of art in the streets.”
~Lina Lecaro, LA Weekly
“A lively compilation of styles that capture the energy of the field, while creating a formidable record of its time and place. I wish more arts institutions engaged with artists this way, and the book contains a frenzy of aesthetics and visuals that seem perfectly suited to continue the manuscript and illumination traditions that are already major threads in the Getty collections. More of this, please.”
~Hrag Vartanian, Hyperallergic