COMPLEX TOP 25 ARTISTS OF 2010

#1: JR

Notable in 2010: Winner of a 2011 TED Prize, produced undoubtedly the most stunning and provocative street art of 2010
Why This Artist Makes Our List: JR's ?Women are Heroes? series was captured in a film which debuted at Cannes Film Festival, and his particular skill in transferring large-scale photographs to walls was employed by the Mus饠de l?Elys饠in Vevey, Switzerland. Both projects were inventive, and both prove examples of a superb talent.

#2: KAWS

Notable in 2010: KAWS' first museum exhibition at the Aldrich
Why This Artist Makes Our List: KAWS balanced his exhibition at the Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art with well-received gallery shows at Paris? Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and Madrid?s Galeria Javier Lopez. The artist finished the year by announcing a collaborative figure produced with Robert Lazzarini, who is known for his abstraction of everyday forms and holding a place on our mid-year Top 25 Artists list. Oh, and the full scope of the year almost makes you forget about the super buzz caused by the Rizzoli KAWS book.

#3: Scott Campbell

Notable in 2010: Mr. Campbell?s exhibitions in New York and Mexico City
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Burning the contents of his show in Mexico City did wonders for Scott Campbell?s notoriety. However, it was his ?If You Don?t Belong, Don?t Belong? exhibition in the spring (presented by O.H.W.O.W.) that solidified his place as a fine artist. Add to that joining forces with Chris O?Donnell at his Saved Tattoo and work with Louis Vuitton, and you find Scott Campbell suddenly very high up in our segment of the art world.

#4: Steve Powers (ESPO)

Notable in 2010: "Love Letters to Philadelphia and Syracuse"
Why This Artist Makes Our List: In a year when big murals garnered lots of art-world attention, Mr. Powers was responsible for two large civic projects?"Love Letters" to his hometown, Philly, and Syracuse, NY. In conjunction, he released a few books, sold tattoo flash, and quite possibly affected and engaged more regular folks in art than any other painter. Quirky as always, Powers' text-driven murals were praised by The New York Times and commuters alike. Powers? 2010 is particularly notable because, unlike his peers, gallery and museum shows played little role in his continued relevance.

#5: Barry McGee

Notable in 2010: Keynote piece in SF MOMA's 75th anniversary exhibition
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Starting in late 2009, SF MOMA began setting the stage for its 75th Anniversary Exhibition by hyping the conservation of one of the highlights?Barry McGee?s untitled installation. The piece hung happily alongside work by Frida Kahlo, Jeff Koons, and Jackson Pollock. From there, McGee participated in almost every major group show in 2010, including the ?Not Quite Open for Business? show that inaugurated The Hole NYC. Need more? As Lydia Fong, McGee exhibited with buddy Todd James. As himself, McGee added a brilliant mural to the walls of the Oakland Museum of California and his touch to the Houston Street wall. For all of us fans, he released a few books, and if you had deep pockets, McGee?s work also found space in some of the biggest contemporary art auctions of 2010.

#6: Banksy

Notable in 2010: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Totally impossible to ignore (yet again), Banksy proves unstoppable when it comes to self-promotion. Nobody missed his getting up in every city that hosted a film showing, either. We can?t shake the king of street art.

#7: Aurel Schmidt

Notable in 2010: Whitney Biennial
Why This Artist Makes Our List: At 27, Schmidt, a self-taught artist, was hailed the breakout star of the 2010 Whitney Biennial. Given that the exhibition also featured one of our culture?s favorite photographers, Ari Marcopoulos, the distinction raised our eyebrows. A collaborative T-shirt with Opening Ceremony and a pretty little exhibition, ?Summer Bummer,? at The Fireplace Project in the Hamptons kept our eyes peeled. We can?t help but be interested in a girl that turns the remnants of last night's party?beer cans, cigarette butts, etc.?into compelling art works.

#8: Rosson Crow

Notable in 2010: ?Bowery Boys? exhibition at Deitch, NY
Why This Artist Makes Our List: In 2010, Ms. Crow?s history-based paintings hit new highs. In ?Bowery Boys,? she channeled legends of the downtown art scene. Crow's interest in bad boys continued through to the fall, when her latest works, collected as ?Myth of the American Motorcycle,? opened in November at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. It's all cross-country runs, punk clubs, tough guys, and, most importantly, Crow?s effortless style.

#9: Blu

Notable in 2010: Mural in Warsaw
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Italian artist Blu went super-big in Warsaw back in July. It might, just might, have been the best mural of 2010. Other cities got visits from Blu?Berlin was also notable?but nothing compares to the ?War? mural in Warsaw. Still, the year didn?t end in July. Blu was offered a chance to paint at MOCA LA by Jeffrey Deitch, only to have the finished product controversially buffed off the walls.

#10: Shepard Fairey

Notable in 2010: Closing show at Deitch Gallery, NY and Houston Street mural
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Before bolting to MOCA LA, Jeffrey Deitch ended his run in NYC with Fairey?s hyped "May Day" exhibition. The artist then managed collaborative work with the ACE Hotel and a mural on the wall on Houston Street to match. You?d think that would be enough, but no. Fairey continued to bang on our senses with a solo show at Subliminal Projects, inclusion in just about every ?street art? exhibition, charity work with kids at the World Financial Center, walls at Wynwood...what else can you do? If exposure was the sole ranking criteria, Fairey would be a certain No. 1. But after his mega-2008, a slip down a few rungs was inevitable.

#11: Ryan McGinley

Notable in 2010: ?Everyone Knows This is Nowhere? exhibition at Team Gallery, NY
Why This Artist Makes Our List: McGinley didn?t break new ground in 2010, but he did successfully reach a pinnacle. ?Everyone Knows This is Nowhere? ran from March through April and marked the first time the photographer had exhibited digital images. The work, primarily nudes, highlighted McGinley?s superb ability to elicit discomfort in the viewer. As always, he produced this through delicate handling of youthful subjects. As an artist, McGinley maintained the energy from his solo exhibition with ?3+1,? a group show in Paris with Harmony Korine and work by the late Dash Snow. The year was capped by the publication of McGinley?s book, Life Adjustment Center, published by Dashwood.

#12: ROA

Notable in 2010: Special Event at New Puppy Gallery, L.A.
Why This Artist Makes Our List: A year of ?going big? around the United States ended perfectly for Belgian artist ROA when he put on a special event at L.A.?s New Puppy Gallery this November. The massive animal drawings that we?ve come to love found new life on a series of wonderfully chosen canvases, ranging from slatted doors to multi-surface platforms. ROA?s black-and-white pieces are always mind-blowing, and his ability to take over a gallery setting proves that he isn?t just a one-trick pony.

#13: Josh Keyes

Notable in 2010: ?Fragment? Exhibition at Jonathan Levine Gallery
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Keyes' eco-surrealist work tinged with the absurd marks the brain, and Keyes? recent ?Collision? at David B. Smith Gallery in Denver was a great follow-up to "Fragment" earlier this year. We eagerly await the April 2011 showing of his new work at SF?s Fecal Face. Keep your fingers crossed if you want to get your hands on a canvas, this guy's work sells faster than Nike SBs circa 2005.

#14: RETNA

Notable in 2010: Installation at Rivera & Rivera, L.A.
Why This Artist Makes Our List: In July, Angelino RETNA offered hometown fans a special treat with an immersive installation at Rivera & Rivera. His trademark typography, also seen on walls from Miami to Mexico City, filled the space and (most impressively) was designed to be read in both English and Spanish. Pretty darn cool. Also cool was Retna?s exhibition at Art Basel Miami and a recent mural on L.A.?s Skid Row.

#15: Dennis McNett

Notable in 2010: Art parades in Philadelphia and New York, exhibition at Joshua Liner Gallery
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Dennis McNett owned a wolf as a child (amazing!) and his obsession with wolves and myths continues today in awesome installation work. His latest exhibition opened just this month in New York at Joshua Liner Gallery, and the Viking-inspired pieces helped charge the Chelsea art scene with an opening-night parade through the Manhattan streets.

#16: Parra

Notable in 2010: Parra Show at Project Space, Arkitip, L.A.
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Parra is responsible for two things: always making us laugh, and for creating the best artist collaboration footwear of 2010 (in the form of the Nike x Parra x Patta Air Max 1). The Dutch artist opened the doors to Arkitip?s Project Space in April and didn?t disappoint. Fun graphics. Fun lettering. Fun narratives. And fun legs. Lots of legs.

#17: Ellen Stagg

Notable in 2010: Bringing soft porn to our world
Why This Artist Makes Our List: From her solo exhibition ?Melting Flesh? at New York?s Fuse Gallery (running May to June) to her end-of-year shoots with Mishka, Stagg and her photographs of pretty gals were a standard-bearer of 2010. Who doesn?t like naked ladies? Check out the rest of "Melting Flesh" here (NSFW).

#18: Todd James (REAS)

Notable in 2010: ?Infinity Lessons? at ALICE Gallery, Brussels
Why This Artist Makes Our List: James has been on our radar (and magazine covers) for years, and his latest exhibition, ?Infinity Lessons,? is textbook REAS. Loose figure painting, quirky political commentary, a few flashed tits?what's not to like about this dude? The show follows a great one at Gering and Lopez, as well as a shared exhibition with his pal Barry McGee.

#19: Dan Witz

Notable in 2010: The artist celebrated 30 years in the streets this year
Why This Artist Makes Our List: As a reminder that street art isn?t just for new jacks, Dan Witz celebrated getting it in since 1980 with the book In Plain View: 30 Years of Artworks Illegal and Otherwise, through Gingko Press. His ?WHAT THE %S#@? project was captured beautifully on camera by Spiffy Films, showing a series of shocking faux-grates placed expertly on city streets.

#20: Os Gemeos

Notable in 2010: Insane murals everywhere, including the Houston Street Wall in NYC
Why These Artists Makes Our List: Here?s a fun fact (and a spoiler for the rest of this list): Almost everyone who touched the Houston St. mural wall in 2010 makes this list. Coincidence? Not at all. The twins killed it by getting up in New York, Sao Paulo, and Lithuania this year, and also had an insane show of murals inside an unused rail tunnel in Germany.

#21: AJ Fosik

Notable in 2010: ?Count Back from Nothing? exhibition at David B. Smith Gallery in Denver
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Fosik?s work is, simply put, RAD. Animal figures made in hypnotic patterns form his sculptures, which first wowed viewers at Jonathan Levine Gallery in New York and later at a duel exhibition with Bill McRight at David B. Smith Gallery in Denver. Fosik is a folk artist for a new generation.

#22: Glen E. Friedman

Notable in 2010: ?Fuck You All? exhibition hits San Francisco (with Shepard Fairey)
Why This Artist Makes Our List: ?Fuck You All? has been touring for 13 years, and the stop in SF reminded us that Glen E. Friedman is still influential. His stature as a pop-culture photographer, from iconic images of Dogtown to Run-DMC, deepens when his photographs are shown alongside the Shepard Fairey prints that they directly influenced.

#23: Invader

Notable in 2010: ?ROMA 2010 & Other Curiosities? exhibition
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Famous for placing 8-bit video game figures around the globe, street-artist Invader took a forward leap in 2010. His gallery show in Rome might have been the highlight, but it was propped by inclusion in Milan?s "Manhole Cover Project" with Shepard Fairey, the London Police, and Flying Fortress; a second book release in conjunction with the show; and a high-profile piece on the wall of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, downtown. Invader, who had a big 2009, continues to creep into the art establishment.

#24: Eric Eaton

Notable in 2010: Solo exhibitions at Pure Gold Gallery, Philadelphia and at Lion Heart Gallery in Oberhausen, Germany
Why This Artist Makes Our List: Very few true outsider artists emerged in 2010, but Eaton is one and that is why he makes this list. His ?The Land of Love and No Fear? exhibition in February at Philadelphia?s Pure Gold Gallery was a dark and twisted fantasy far more frightening than Kanye?s. The sculptural work, painted almost exclusively in matte black, holds concise narratives the artist drew from his childhood dreams.

#25: Nathan Cash Davidson

Notable in 2010: "Burlesque in which we've thrown it on its Head" exhibition at Parasol Unit, London

Why This Artist Makes Our List: When a 22-year old artist and ?rapper? is touted as "the next big thing in visual art" by the mainstream British press, it?s only natural for us to think, "Hmmmm." But in Davidson?s case, the hyperbole might be merit-based. His paintings are strong and his figurative work proves a particular personal style.


www.complex.com

free graffiti pictures crip graffiti pictures best graffiti pictures new york graffiti pictures graffiti fonts