AESTHETICS OF GRAFFITI: April 28 - July 2, 1978

(San Francisco): San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, 1978. First edition. Very good plus.. Catalogue of the groundbreaking exhibition of graffiti and graffiti-influenced work, an early challenge to art-world distinctions between high and low visual culture. With an introduction by curator Rolando Castellón and an essay by former graffitist Pearlstein, asserting a chain of historical antecedents for graffiti from the cave art of Lascaux all the way to modern advertising billboards by way of Duchamp and Picasso's Guernica. Represented artists – both graffitists and traditional painters, sculptors, and photographers who "share in embracing and projecting the reality of graffiti" – include Ed Ruscha, Ed Kerns, Carlos Villa, Casper Banjo, Annie Philbin, Robert Rauschenberg, and numerous others. Increasingly scarce, especially in collectible condition. 10'' x 8''. Original pictorial wrappers. Black and white plates throughout. Slightly thumbed at corners. Mild toning. Overall sound. (Inventory #: 53356)