A visual account of the birth of graffiti and street art, showcasing as-yet-unseen works collected by preeminent artist Martin Wong. Referred to by the New York Times as an artist "whose meticulous visionary realism is among the lasting legacies of New York's East Village art scene of the 1980s," Martin Wong (1946-1999) was firmly entrenched in the NYC street art world of the late '70s and '80s. City as Canvas chronicles the most important chapter in the street art movement and the artists involved. Showcasing Wong's enormous graffiti art collection, the book contains artwork, photographs, black books, letters, postcards, posters, and flyers made by Wong and his artist friends. The book contains previously unpublished art by famous street artists such as Futura 2000, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Christopher "Daze" Ellis, LA II, Lady Pink, and Keith Haring, to name only a few. City as Canvas traces the origins of urban self-expression and the era of "outlaw" street art in New York, which primed the floodgates for graffiti art to spread worldwide. Exhibition Schedule: Museum of the City of New York: Opens October 2013

Despite playing canvas to a long list of talented writers, the IND (Independent) and BMT (Brooklyn Manhattan Transit) lines have been underrepresented in graffiti history. This is now rectified with a collection of high-quality images from the 1970s and 80s that capture works by heavyweights from the BMT like Lee, Mono, Iz The Wiz, Baby168, OE3, P13, and many others. From Coney Island to Queensboro Plaza and everywhere in between, these nostalgic images capture elevated subway scenes, stations, and subway yards and offer a glimpse through time at Brooklyn and Queens in the height of the NYC subway graffiti era. This truly amazing lineup also features early writers on the IND lines like Pistol, Piper, A'train, and IN, in addition to obscure names and throw-ups from these undocumented corridors. This is an ideal volume of subway art for graffiti artists, fans, historians, and students looking for rare photos on the letter lines.