Henry Chalfant Biography

This page uses content from the Henry Chalfant biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.

Henry Chalfant (born January 2, 1940 in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, USA) is a well known and highly regarded urban culture photographer and videographer most notable for his graffiti and breakdance photography and film.

His photos are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

A graduate of Stanford University who majored in classical Greek, he co-authored the definitive account of New York graffiti art, Subway Art and a sequel on the art form's world-wide diffusion, Spray Can Art. Chalfant co-produced and did the background research and photo-documentation for the film, Style Wars, first shown on PBS television in 1984. One of the foremost authorities on New York subway art, he has published articles and lectured extensively on urban culture. More recently
he has lectured on the aspects of conflict in the Middle East, in particular the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Chalfant has stated his influences are varied:
"In College my mentor was Charles Rowan Beye, the Greek scholar. I really didn't have a mentor for my art work, but I was influenced by great sculptors I admired like David Smith and Eduardo Chillida. For visual Anthropology, I was influenced by the ethnographic filmmaker, Jean Rouche."

Published works

Gallery events

• "Ten Years: 1977-1987", The Prosper Gallery, New York, 2002.
  
• "hip hop display at the Experience Music Project", Seattle, Washington 2000.
  
• "Urban Mythologies", the Bronx Museum, New York, 1999.
  
• "Hip Hop: A Cultural Expression", The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio; 1999.
  
• "Art of the American Century Part ll", Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY 1999.
  
• "Urban Mythologies", The Bronx Museum, New York, 1999.
  
• "Since the Harlem Renaissance, 50 Years of Afro-American Art", Bucknell University, 1985.
  
• Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, D.C. 1984.
  
• "Content, a Contemporary Focus 1974-1984".
  
• "The Comic Art Show", Whitney Downtown, New York, 1983.
  
• Addison - Ripley Gallery, Washington, D.C. 1991.
  
• Instituto de Cultura Norteamericana, Barcelona, 1985.
  
• Riverside Studios, London, 1985.
  
• Canton art Institute, Canton, Ohio, 1981.
  
• "Graffiti in New York", OK Harris, New York, 1980.
  

References

• Henry Chalfant @149st - Very brief bio.
  
• "Henry Chalfant: Granddaddy of the Graff Flik," by Vee Bravo, in Stress Magazine, no. 13, 1998.
  
• New York Folklore Society 2001-02 Documentary Heritage Project Documenting Hip Hop - Biography and other collection information.
  
• E-mail interview with Henry Chalfant.
  

External links

• 
  
• BackJumps No. 19 - Brief interview, contains photo of Chalfant throwing up graffiti.
  
• Hip-hop snapshots - contains an audio interview with Henry Chalfant.
  

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