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Lee Quinones

@leequinones

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New York Artist.

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Publication day! My monograph “Fifty Years of New York Graffiti Art and Beyond” published by @damiani_books is in stores and New York events and signings are right around the corner.

Read all about in this @vanityfair feature written by the incomparable @therealbrettberk

“A long time ago, two cops said to me, ‘Lee, you’re dangerous because you’re an influence,’” he says. “Guys, we were painting. Put that into perspective. 50,000 young souls were painting. It is unheard of in any society that—myself included—people took to painting like that to serve as a calling. And no one said in school, ‘Only this is what you should do to break into the art world.’ It was all happening in a very unique and organic way. And I’m happy to still be here. I’m happy to still have that voice.”

Humbled and appreciative of all the support around the world. The ride continues!

#leequinones by @leequinones

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2 years ago

“A flag and countryman in mourning, land of the slave, no wind in its sails.” — Lee Quiñones

Lee Quiñones constructing the placement of a vintage cotton American flag directly onto the surface of the canvas — a final gesture that completes ‘Heart In A Hurricane’, a work layered with deep and powerful meaning.

You’ll be met with this striking floor installation as you enter “OUTSIDE IS AMERICA,” a piece that encapsulates the complexity and critical thought at the heart of the exhibition. taken in Woodbury House by @leequinones

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9 months ago

Happy Birthday to the one and only, Lee Quiñones.

A true pioneer whose influence continues to shape generations of artists, Lee’s work has always pushed beyond the boundaries of graffiti—bringing together history, politics, identity and masterful storytelling on an extraordinary scale.

From the New York City subway to museum walls around the world, his vision remains as vital today as ever.

We’re proud to have presented “OUTSIDE IS AMERICA” at Woodbury House last year, celebrating one of the most influential artists to emerge from the New York City subway movement and a defining voice across graffiti, street art and contemporary culture.

Happy Birthday, Lee. taken in Woodbury House by @leequinones

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a day ago

For decades I’ve lectured on Graffiti and Art History, where it repeats, intersects and departs from over time.

One of my favorite talks is, “Did Russia have Hip Hop before us?”
(I will focus on trains for this post)

I share archival works by the Agit- Prop movement (1920) and @leequinones who throughout the 1970s-80s painted some of the most celebrated trains in graffiti history. Pinning it with recently wrapped trains by FIFA for the World Cup.

✨We Weren’t the First!✨

The Agit- Prop movement originated in Soviet Russia in 1920 with the establishment of the Communist Party’s Department of Agitation and Propaganda.

It was used to control ideological thinking, shape public opinion, and mobilize the masses through posters, theater, and traveling propaganda trains. (wiki)

Some 50 plus years later Lee would go on to paint his most ambitious and influential trains that would serve as a calling to youth like myself to take up arms against a system with nothing more than markers and a spray can.

Lee found the perfect platform on the train surfaces for his art and took advantage of its vast network and daily viewership. For many a revulsion but to us writers it was a revolutionary act, his message was clear- make more of your name and the medium- make a damn statement!

The wrapped trains surprised me in how they felt Agit-Prop more than graffiti. I suppose we can call it Agit- Profit. While decorative it still clearly registers as political power and nation branding.

The thread is there for consideration or rebuttal.

#agitprop #subwayart #arthistory #leetf5 #leequinones by @leequinones

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4 days ago

New Lee Quiñones paintings made for the Aspen Art Fair coming up in two weeks!

Bravo and Thank You LEE!!

The third edition of the Aspen Art Fair, taking place July 29 – August 1, 2026, will be overseen by The Aspen Art Fair Co-founder Bob Chase, owner of Aspen’s Hexton Gallery and a 17-year Aspen resident, together with newly appointed director Kelly Cornell.

Presented at the historic Hotel Jerome, the Aspen Art Fair is an intimate, boutique fair and immersive cultural takeover. International galleries are presented across purpose-built booths and hotel rooms, creating a uniquely social and experiential approach to the art fair format.

Pictured:

Lee Quiñones, The Kiss, 2026. Acrylic, spray paint, pastel pencil and ink on poly cotton. 41.25 x 31 inches

Lee Quiñones, Drowning in the Blues, 2026. Acrylic, spray paint, and ink on poly cotton. 38 x 27 inches

Photos by Shark Senesac

@leequinones @tamarawarren @ever.a.k.a.thegirlabouttown @aspenartfair_org @sharksenesac #leequiñones #leequinones #charliejamesgallery #aspenartfair taken in Aspen, Colorado by @leequinones

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9 days ago

Up with the high fives and drop the mic reading material here straight outta Brooklyn.

Freddy is the source, the front man ambassador in bringing us back for some cultural perspective and shooting us forward to the beyond. by @leequinones

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2 months ago

In 1980, Lee Quiñones was 20 years old and had already become, to anyone who rode the subway, a household name. On 4, 5, J, M, and R trains, LEE was graffitied across whole cars in giant blocks of text, the letters sometimes cracked or slumped and molded into barely recognizable shapes. Quiñones often took inspiration from cartoons and comic books, painting dragons or, most famously, Howard the Duck. He and his art collective, the Fabulous Five, used graffiti as a kind of dialogue with the city, parts of which believed their work was, as Mayor Ed Koch put it, “destroying our lifestyle.” WHAT IS GRAFFITI ART? they wrote on one car. TAKE A LOOK FOR YOURSELF.

City leadership did not respond in kind. “If I had my way, I wouldn’t put in dogs but wolves,” Koch said. A year later, his administration built high barbed-wire fences and stationed German shepherds around a Queens train yard. Then the MTA launched the “Great White Fleet,” painting roughly a dozen 7 trains completely white to discourage vandalism. “Can you believe that?” Quiñones says. “They actually created a canvas.”

Throughout the early ‘80s, Quiñones steadily brought his work aboveground, painting murals across handball courts in lower Manhattan. “People were making pilgrimages to those walls,” he recalls. Through that scene, he met figures like Debbie Harry, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat — and Blondie eventually commissioned Quiñones and Basquiat to create the set for two music videos.

Major gallerists grew curious. Barbara Gladstone asked to represent him, walking into the pet shop where he worked at the time. When the art market collapsed and the AIDS epidemic ravaged his downtown orbit, he channeled it into his work, creating murals like The Golden Child as an homage to his friend Haring. Read the stories behind these photos at the link in our bio for our #YesteryearIssue.

Photos: Charlie Ahearn, Martha Cooper, Farrique Pesquera, Edo Bertoglio, Melissa Hill, Eric Felisbret, Florence Wong Fie/Courtesy of the martin wong foundation and P·P·O·W by @leequinones

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3 months ago

Wild Style (1983) captures the early days of hip hop in the South Bronx, from graffiti and DJing to MCing and breaking.

Join us for a free screening of the newly restored 4K version, followed by a panel with director Charlie Ahearn (@twincharlie) and lead actor Lee Quiñones (@leequinones), moderated by assistant curator Ben Ortiz (@ortizben) of the Cornell Hip Hop Collection.

🎬 link in bio to reserve your free ticket taken in Cornell University by @leequinones

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3 months ago

FREE screening of the iconic first film about Hip Hop, WILD STYLE (now in 4K!) ... followed by a panel discussion with *legends*: director Charlie Ahearn, and lead actor Lee Quiñones.

DO NOT MISS. Friday, April 17th, 600pm-830pm.

Go to cinema.cornell.edu to reserve your ticket now!

#wildstyle #hiphop #film #panel #cornell taken in Cornell Cinema by @leequinones

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4 months ago

As we embrace this day for MLK, let us not drift away and fall into a paralysis of analysis of what is unfolding around us.

This is not a mystery novel, it is not a horror movie, nor is it a bad dream; as the words of many a prophet such as the late great James Baldwin have expressed: “It is truly America today and she needs us more than ever to rise to the occasion to rescue her right here, right now.”

“A Day In The Life” 2025. Lee Quinones by @leequinones

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6 months ago

In preparation for this year’s Miami Art Week edition of Artist’s Table, we traveled outside of Miami to @chefjeremyford’s farm to discuss the spirit of collaboration in his process creating the menu with artist @leequinones. #ChaseSapphirePartner

At the link in bio, go behind the scenes of this testimony to creativity transcended disciplines. @ChaseSapphire Reserve cardmembers can experience his creativity, unrelenting passion and unapologetic approach by booking an exclusive reservation to his restaurant @stubborn_seed through Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables. taken in The Miami Beach EDITION by @leequinones

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7 months ago

Welcome to behind the scenes of @leequinones and @chefjeremyford’s collaboration at Artist’s Table Miami powered by WOAH™ and @AudiUSA. An evening where creative vision and culinary craft met in perfect conversation. Quiñones’ artistry and Ford’s seed to table approach to flavor reflected a shared devotion to origin, integrity, and the communities that shape their work. At the link in bio, discover the process behind their collaboration. taken in The Miami Beach EDITION by @leequinones

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7 months ago