Zephyr - Graffiti Black Book/Scrapbook: 1978 & Beyond

ZEPHYR – Graffiti Black Book/Scrapbook: 1978 & Beyond

New York City, 1970s: the city pulsed with a raw, electric energy, reflected in the vibrant graffiti that covered subway cars and urban spaces. At the heart of this explosion of color and creativity emerged a name destined to leave an indelible mark: ZEPHYR. Born Andrew Witten, ZEPHYR became a legendary figure of this gritty and rebellious art form. By night, he would sneak into subway yards and paint on the trains, knowing that his work would be transported all across the city.

ZEPHYR began his journey in graffiti in 1977. The following year, he started developing a sketchbook, a true time capsule capable of documenting the culture of that era. BEYOND THE STREETS has produced a faithful reproduction of that book, enriched with page-by-page commentary by ZEPHYR himself. Over the years, this volume has transformed into a vivid testimony to the history of graffiti culture, enhanced by contributions from prominent figures such as MACKIE, BIL-ROCK, REVOLT, FREEDOM, and FUTURA. It also contains a rich collection of newspaper clippings, tickets, MTA materials, flyers, vintage photographs, doodles, and numerous other artifacts that bear witness to his passion for graffiti.

This visual collection captures the life of New York City from the late 1970s to the early 1980s with great immediacy, with some incursions into the 90s, through the eyes of one of the pioneers of the graffiti movement. The volume represents both an in-depth documentation of the creative explosion that defined an era.

• Publisher: Beyond The Streets
• Cover: Hardcover with dust jacket
• Format: 27.7 × 37.6 cm
• Language: English
• Pages: 240
• Year: 2025 (2nd edition)