From Taki to Basquiat: discover the roots of New York graffiti in Martha Cooper’s iconic photos.
While graffiti has grown into the largest art movement in history, for every writer it began with their tag, the essential core of the art form.
In Tag Town, renowned documentary photographer Martha Cooper traces New York City’s distinctive style writing from the 1970s through the early 1980s, capturing the development of tagging as the foundation of modern graffiti writing. Her photographs open the door to understanding the culture’s aesthetics and communication.
The book includes rare street pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Kenny Scharf, whose early work helped shape the rise of street art, as well as quotes from graffiti pioneers Blade and Snake 1. Long out of print since its first release in 2008, this photographic chronicle explores the evolution of styles, signatures, and street presence offering a vital historical record of urban creativity in public space.
Before street art went global, it all started with a tag.
