Lady Pink
Encyclopedia
Lady Pink is a graffiti
artist. She was raised in Queens
, New York
, and started her graffiti writing career in 1979 following the loss of a boyfriend who had been sent to live in Puerto Rico after he had been arrested. She exorcised her grief by tagging her boyfriend's name across the city. Soon after she started tagging the name Lady Pink, derived from her love of historical romances, England
, the Victorian period, and the aristocracy. Lady Pink studied at the High School of Art & Design in Manhattan. While a student there she was introduced to graffiti and began writing at age fifteen. Within a few years LADY PINK began running with TC5 (The Cool 5) and TPA (The Public Animals) crews and was soon well known as the only female capable of competing with the boys in the graffiti subculture. Lady Pink painted subway trains from the years 1979-1985. In 1980, she was included in the landmark New York
show “GAS: Graffiti Art Success” at Fashion Moda, which traveled in a modified form downtown to The New Museum of Contemporary Art. Young, approachable, quick-witted, and one of the only female graffiti writers, Lady Pink became among the most photographed and interviewed graffiti artist of her time.
In 1983, she appeared in theaters in the starring role of Rose in Charlie Ahearn’s film Wild Style
. That same year, she worked on a series of large scale paintings with artist Jenny Holzer
, the pair have since collaborated several times. While still in high school she was already exhibiting paintings in art galleries, and by age twenty-one, she mounted her first solo show, “Femmes-Fatales, “ at the Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia. After 1987, Lady Pink took a hiatus from painting outdoors, but she returned in 1993 after meeting her future husband, fellow graffiti legend SMITH, with whom she collaborates on murals and commercial work. Her studio paintings, often incorporating images of New York subways weaving through decaying, POP-surrealist cityscapes, have been widely exhibited throughout the United States and abroad.
As a leading participant in the rise of graffiti-based art, Lady Pink's canvases have entered important art collections such as those of the Whitney Museum of American Art
, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum
and the Groningen Museum of Holland. She has established herself in the fine art world, and her paintings are highly prized by collectors.
Today, Lady Pink continues to create new paintings on canvas that express her unique personal vision. She also shares her 30 years of experience by holding mural workshops with teens and actively lecturing college students throughout the Northeast.
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
artist. She was raised in Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and started her graffiti writing career in 1979 following the loss of a boyfriend who had been sent to live in Puerto Rico after he had been arrested. She exorcised her grief by tagging her boyfriend's name across the city. Soon after she started tagging the name Lady Pink, derived from her love of historical romances, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the Victorian period, and the aristocracy. Lady Pink studied at the High School of Art & Design in Manhattan. While a student there she was introduced to graffiti and began writing at age fifteen. Within a few years LADY PINK began running with TC5 (The Cool 5) and TPA (The Public Animals) crews and was soon well known as the only female capable of competing with the boys in the graffiti subculture. Lady Pink painted subway trains from the years 1979-1985. In 1980, she was included in the landmark New York
show “GAS: Graffiti Art Success” at Fashion Moda, which traveled in a modified form downtown to The New Museum of Contemporary Art. Young, approachable, quick-witted, and one of the only female graffiti writers, Lady Pink became among the most photographed and interviewed graffiti artist of her time.
In 1983, she appeared in theaters in the starring role of Rose in Charlie Ahearn’s film Wild Style
Wild Style
Wild Style is a 1983 hip hop film produced by Charlie Ahearn. Released theatrically in 1983 by First Run Features and later re-released for home video by Rhino Home Video, it is regarded as the first hip hop motion picture...
. That same year, she worked on a series of large scale paintings with artist Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer
Jenny Holzer is an American conceptual artist. Holzer lives and works in Hoosick Falls, New York.-Education:...
, the pair have since collaborated several times. While still in high school she was already exhibiting paintings in art galleries, and by age twenty-one, she mounted her first solo show, “Femmes-Fatales, “ at the Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia. After 1987, Lady Pink took a hiatus from painting outdoors, but she returned in 1993 after meeting her future husband, fellow graffiti legend SMITH, with whom she collaborates on murals and commercial work. Her studio paintings, often incorporating images of New York subways weaving through decaying, POP-surrealist cityscapes, have been widely exhibited throughout the United States and abroad.
As a leading participant in the rise of graffiti-based art, Lady Pink's canvases have entered important art collections such as those of the Whitney Museum of American Art
Whitney Museum of American Art
The Whitney Museum of American Art, often referred to simply as "the Whitney", is an art museum with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century American art. Located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street in New York City, the Whitney's permanent collection contains more than 18,000 works in a wide variety of...
, the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
in New York City, the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
and the Groningen Museum of Holland. She has established herself in the fine art world, and her paintings are highly prized by collectors.
Today, Lady Pink continues to create new paintings on canvas that express her unique personal vision. She also shares her 30 years of experience by holding mural workshops with teens and actively lecturing college students throughout the Northeast.