Early iconic works
The northwest wall of the intersection at Houston Street and Bowery in New York City has been a target of artists since the 1970s. The site, now sometimes referred to as the Bowery Mural, originated as a derelict wall which graffiti artists used freely. Keith Haring once commandeered the wall for his own use in 1982. After Haring, a stream of well-known street artists followed, until the wall had gradually taken on prestigious status. As of 2008 the wall (pictured) is privately managed and made available to artists by commission or invitation only.[citation needed]
A series of I AM THE BEST ARTIST René murals painted by René Moncada began appearing on the streets of SoHo in the late 1970s. René has described the murals as a thumb in the nose to the art community he felt he'd helped pioneer but by which he later felt ignored.[10][14] Recognized as an early act of "art provocation",[3] they were a topic of conversation and debate at the time, and related legal conflicts raised discussion about intellectual property, artist's rights, and the First Amendment.[15][16][17][18] The ubiquitous murals (pictured above) also became a popular backdrop to photographs taken by tourists and art students, and for advertising layouts and Hollywood films.[19][20][21] IATBA murals were often defaced, only to be repainted by René.[3][22]