Barry McGee, also known as Twist, is a giant among street artists and his mural, entitled Untitled 2012, graces the side of the Mark Morris Dance Group HQ at 3 Lafayette Ave,. in Brooklyn. Can you guess when it was painted?
The 96×67-foot commission was executed as part of Art in the Streets and features a grid of vibrant, clustered forms that have become Twist’s signature elements: geometric patterns, block lettering and pouty characters.
San Francisco-based Barry McGee studied painting and printmaking at SFAI and became associated with the Mission School in the 90s, a loose collective of Bay Area artists whose work was informed by the lowbrow, vernacular forms of hand-painted commercial signage and hobo art.
Eagle-eyed Cincinnatians are probably familiar with this Twist character, hidden in plain sight on Walnut St. downtown:
I think this must have appeared when the ground-breaking exhibition Beautiful Losers debuted at the Contemporary Arts Center. Side note: I highly recommend the accompanying documentary, which profiles McGee, Margaret Kilgallen, and other notable artists who have navigated the worlds of street art and fine art.
Department of Everyday Visualingual 