- The New York Times states that 1980s Berlin is the birthplace of modern graffiti culture. One of the most famous showcases of graffiti art is the Berlin Wall, where people made political statements with their graffiti. Photographer Edward Murray documented the wall's graffiti six months before it was torn down. While the east side of the wall was blank, the west side was decorated in messages and artwork that reflected the freedom of West Berlin. This was the start of popular graffiti art in Europe.
- As West Berliners covered their side of the Berlin Wall in stencil art, the 1983 film "Style Wars" about hip-hop culture and the 1984 book "Subway Art" helped popularize graffiti art. Since then, some European governments--such as Berlin's--have been slow to prosecute graffiti artists as criminals guilty of vandalism.
- Graffiti is a way for civilians to contribute to the look and attitude of their city. Many graffiti artists state that graffiti is a way for them to make their mark; as London graffiti artist Banksy states, "Anyone with a paint can should have as much say in how our cities look as architects and ad men." Websites have sprung up to celebrate European graffiti art, and exhibitions of stencil art have become popular. In spite of its increasing popularity, public graffiti and stencil art are still illegal; for instance, the BBC states that Northampton, England, spends £55,000 a year removing graffiti from public spaces.
- Europe is the birthplace of several of the world's most famous graffiti artists. British artist Banksy may be the most famous: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and Christina Aguilera are now fans of his artwork, according to the Daily Mail. In 2010, he released a film called "Exit Through the Gift Shop" about graffiti art. Before Banksy, Thomas Baumgartel stenciled yellow bananas around art galleries in the 1980's, turning the yellow banana into an international symbol of art. Other European graffiti artists are Kripoe from Germany and Anton Unai from Spain.
- Much of Europe has come to embrace graffiti as art--especially in public showcases. In May 2008, Banksy turned a tunnel in central London into a graffiti art showcase with 29 other artists, according to BBC News. Visitors also had a chance to create stencil artwork in the tunnel. Urban artist Superblast from Berlin--whose real name is Manuel Osterholt--presented his graffiti-influenced artwork in a 2009 exhibition. In 2010, Orticanoodles, group of stencil artists from Milan, Italy, presented their art in Paris. Public exhibitions of this kind of art have elevated graffiti from anonymous works of vandalism to stencil art by true artists.
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