GRAFFITI DENIM JACKET

New York: Original Artwork c.1984. Acrylic and ink on a denim Wrangler jacket (size 40). Painted circa 1984. Large "JoyStick" piece with character portrait and smaller "Revolt" piece underneath, to rear jacket panel. A classic Dr. Revolt burner with character portrait of Joy "Joystick" Bouldin. Authentic hand painted clothing from the early days of hip hop are exceptionally rare. Revolt began painting on New York subway trains in the late 1970s and continued throughout the 1980s. As a member of the RTW (Rolling Thunder Writers) he painted with artists such as IZ THE WIZ, ZEPHYR, QUIK and KEL. He appeared in the historic PBS documentary "Style Wars" and along with Zephyr created the iconic "WILD STYLE" mural used in the film of the same name. Revolt has never stopped painting and his work is held in museums, galleries and private collections worldwide. He has been in commercial demand since the 1980s designing album covers for artists such as The Fun Lovin' Criminals and Grandmaster Flash and creating the classic "YO! MTV Raps" logo. Provenance: Joy "Joystick" Bouldin. Joy was a key figure in the New York club scene of the early 1980s. Aged 18, she arrived in New York and, eschewing her plans to go to college, found work at the Mudd Club. Here she was befriended by Andy Warhol, who introduced her to his inner circle, including Jean-Michel Basquiat (for whom she modelled) and Keith Haring. In 1982 she quit her job in a law firm to "work the elevator" at Danceteria. Deciding who to let in to the private club gave her a key position at the forefront of the emerging culture of the time, positioned at the intersection between fashion, Pop Art, Hip Hop and graffiti. Like key door-people everywhere, Joy knew everyone and everyone knew her. She came up with the idea of having the best known and most applauded graffiti writers, pop artists and musicians tag or draw on her clothing as they came in and out of the club. In doing so she created a wearable original artwork merging fashion, art and music that now also serves as a significant historical document. In true graffiti spirit, the writers wanted to be seen and learning of Joy's legendary art coats were keen to have their name displayed at the hottest club in town. As a result Joy was gifted items of hand-painted clothing in the hope she would wear them out. This jacket by Revolt was once such item that she loved and wore regularly. Further details and images for any of the items listed are available on request. Lucius Books welcomes direct contact with our customers.