Barry McGee

the long version

Despite, or perhaps in ironic conjunction with, Rudy Giuliani's efforts to make New York City clean and pristine, graffiti has become a respected staple of the gallery scene. Barry "Twist" McGee's tags and caricatures are no exception, nor were they when displayed at the Venice Biennale this past summer. With more than 15 years of street cred, the California tagger's lively, humorous, and often bulbous depictions of street characters don't so much bring the street into the gallery as bring the gallery out into the street.