To many people in the art world, the name Wynwood—a district of low-lying warehouses just north of downtown Miami—has become synonymous with street art. But the neighbourhood has not always been a pilgrimage site for graffiti writers, muralists and street art fans. In 2009 the late real estate developer Tony Goldman created Wynwood Walls to help formalise the area’s thriving graffiti scene. Gradually, then with increasing momentum, the neighbourhood experienced an influx of new development, restaurants and nightlife destinations, but street art has remained fundamental throughout Wynwood’s transformation.
Artist Defer, whose work features ornate letterforms Nika Kramer
“The art comes first, then you plan the architecture around that to make sure you have large-scale spaces to incorporate art into the building projects,” says Jessica Goldman Srebnick, Tony Goldman’s daughter, the curator of Wynwood Walls and the founder and chief executive of Goldman Global Arts. “There might not be as many murals on the ground floor as there were in the past, because the new buildings are more vertical and you’re starting to have windows into the spaces that didn’t have windows before, but the murals are becoming bigger and taller.”
David Choe, who is a graphic novelist as well as graffiti artist, works in what he calls a “dirty style”, often including the figure of a bucktoothed whale Martha Cooper
The district’s newer towering murals, its scrappier early projects and everything in between are featured in Street Art Icons: The Story of Wynwood Walls, a new book from the publisher Assouline. In addition to a foreword by the dealer Jeffrey Deitch—a champion of street art and a supporter of Wynwood Walls from its inception—the book includes hundreds of images chronicling the work of artists including Kenny Scharf, Shepard Fairey, Maya Hayuk, Jessie & Katey, HowNosm and Ron English.
A work by the self-taught French artist PRO 176, typical of his strong comic book aesthetic Martha Cooper
The twin brothers How and Nosm at work on one of their signature black, white and red pieces Martha Cooper
“Martha Cooper is the eyes of the project, and she documented everything from the very beginning. Then she brought in Nika Kramer, who is an incredible documentary photographer from Germany; there’s a real consistency in the photography,” Goldman Srebnick says. “It took us about a year-and-a-half, working at a very fast pace and with a lot of late nights, to make our selection.”
Renato Reno Pereira, of the Brazilian artist duo Bicicleta sem Freio, at work Martha Cooper
The book chronicles the neighbourhood art project’s 15-year journey, but also how much street art has developed over the same period. “It shows how one idea can change a neighbourhood, but also change an entire viewpoint of an art form,” Goldman Srebnick says. “It changed careers for the artists, and it changed how people view art; museums and galleries are wonderful, but they’re very intimidating. We wanted to remove the intimidation factor from the experience.”
The Baltimore-based artist duo Jessie & Katey in front of one of their colourful geometric works at Wynwood Walls. “Our mission is to transform public spaces into vibrant, playful experiences,” they say Nika Kramer
• Street Art Icons: The Story of Wynwood Walls, Assouline, 284pp, 317 illustrations, $120, published November 2024
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