Where to Find the Coolest Street Art in New York City

 

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It’s no secret that I love New York City for so many reasons. Food, culture, easy walking, unlimited things to do…I could go on and on. I visit annually and this year was lucky enough to go twice. On the longer of the two trips, I sought out to find street art in New York City, and well, I found it. There’s a lot of it and there’s a lot of talent in it!

A great perk to street art is it’s free to see and photograph. It will also get you walking and help you see more of the city while quite possibly revealing things you might not have otherwise seen.

The downside to street art is that it sometimes is a changing mural or in a changing space. This means that depending on the holiday or event, what I see in February might not be what you see in August. In full disclosure, some of the ones I include below are changing murals. If it isn’t what I have shown here though, don’t worry. There will be something else cool in its place!

Some of the names of the murals are their official names and some I named myself because I was unable to find the official name. Oh, and if you are overwhelmed with keeping track of the murals and their addresses, they are all organized in a nice, interactive map at the end of the post. Don’t worry, I got ya! 😉

Street Art in New York City

Pietro Nolita

Although I’m not sure you would technically call it a mural, I love all the pink hearts on the door of Pietro Nolita! Speaking of pink hearts, this is a great place to go if you are visiting NYC with teens!

Blue Angel

I was actually looking for a different mural and found this one in its place. All, that to say, surprise! You never know what you might find.

Just go with it, that’s part of the beauty of art.

Be Mine Love Wall

Jason Naylor is recognized by his bright colors against rich blacks, which I absolutely love! Jason’s motto is “creatively positive and positively creative”. He has been featured on HGTV and the Discovery Channel and has partnered with brands like Maybelline and Coach.

I thought this was a changing mural and I think it might still be since I was looking for geometric shapes in its exact location. However, this is what I found in its place in February. Thinking it was for Valentine’s Day, I was surprised to still see it present as of mid-June 2019.

Floral Mural

Love and shoes definitely go together for me so I had to include this mural outside of John Fluevog Shoes!

FD Mural

This mural is located right beside Ladder 20, Engine 13 on Lafayette Street in Nolita. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any further information on it.

Noodle Love

British born James Goldcrown states he started his love walls of #bleedinghearts as a mistake. He didn’t think they would catch on. But hearts are the universal language of love. And, they did. Catch on, that is.

Tiger Mural

Possibly the most expressive mural I have ever seen, South African native Sonny Sundancer created it in 2017 to raise awareness for tigers as part of both Project CAT and the L.I.S.A. Project.

Hold Hands

Right down from the Tiger mural are these stick figures holding hands. Other than the artist (Stik and LA2) I couldn’t find any other information.

Ombré Wall

Ombré was all the rage not too long ago. In clothes, hair color and even nail art. So why not murals too? I personally love all the color that American artist, MOMO, put into his creation!

Massive Stampede-Elephants

Craig Anthony Miller (CAM) aimed to bring together the neighborhood of DUMBO Heights to neighborhoods in Southern Brooklyn. The elephants signify community, strength, and resilience.

Massive Stampede-Birds

Painted in November 2018 and supported by the NYC DOT Art, the murals pay homage to CAM’s favorite saying “always be mindful of your ability to fly”.

Louis Vuitton

This one may already not be there anymore.

This mural of a well-dressed man is the vision and marketing campaign of Virgil Abloh, the creative director behind Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer Men’s collection. Inspired by The Wizard of Oz, his favorite story, you can see a little of the yellow brick road and red poppies as part of the window displays.

Buff Monsters

Buff Monster is an NYC street artist who uses bright colors and funny characters to make the world more enjoyable.

Love Wall, Seamore’s

Yet another (mini) love wall of James Goldcrown’s!

Big City of Dreams

This Gigi Hadid mural is the work of Tristan Eaton, a Los Angeles based artist who, at 18, designed his first toy for Fisher-Price. His work can also be found in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Crying Face

The Crying Face is by British artist Dean “D*Face” Stockton who discovered his passion and talent for art by doodling at his Monday-Friday job trying to find ways to kill time!

Audrey Hepburn Graffiti

One of NYC’s most popular murals, this Audrey Hepburn mural is another classic by Tristan Eaton!

Looney Tunes

Bronx native John “CRASH” Matos got his name when he accidentally crashed the computer at his school. His art career, which started at age 13, now encompasses partnerships with brands such as Levi’s, Tumi luggage and Absolut Vodka. His work can be seen all over the world and he co-owns a contemporary art gallery in The Bronx.

Buff Monsters 2

Buff Monster cites pop art, ice cream, and Japanese culture (among others) as inspiration for his creations. He has partnered with brands like Apple, Disney, Hello Kitty, Samsung, and Coca-Cola. Pretty impressive, right?

The Looney Tunes and the Buff Monsters are on the same corner and meet at the point!

Colorful Paws with Claws

The CLAW is iconic of Claudia “Claw Money” Gold. She was the first female to partner with companies Nike, Mountain Dew, Calvin Klein, and others. She owns her own shop and collection called Claw and Co.

Basketball

Born in Pittsburgh, Matt Gondek is a deconstructive pop artist who currently lives in Los Angeles. A self-taught artist whose work can be seen globally, he created his first work, a comic book, in elementary school. His specialty is the ability to recreate the “clean graphic style of digital illustration”.

Art Is My Healing

DJ Neff is never bored and works every day. He is thankful for the ability to learn valuable lessons through hard work.

This is one that changes. Formerly, it was the salamander overlooking “Art Is My Healing” and now it’s a salamander overlooking things to do with music. Both are healing for me with music having a slight edge. Sadly, it looks like it needs to be redone again. I don’t understand people who look to destroy.

Stay Dirty

I actually came along while the artist was touching this one up. He apparently goes by the name “Dirty” so I guess that explains the title!

Essex Street Market Mural

This mural by Brooklyn based conceptual artist, Gera “Geraluz” Lozano, is about a city block long (I nicknamed it the “long mural”) and reflects on the modern market of today.

Nelson Mandela

Tired of all the negative going on, Gary Weingarten, co-owner of Verlaine, decided to put something positive on the roll-down of his popular bar (known for its lychee martini) in the Lower East Side.

Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique

This is the latest of Danielle Mastrion’s Beastie Boys, Paul’s Boutique mural. Previously, there was a version 1 so it might change again in the future. Danielle is a Brooklyn native and has been painting murals all over the world since 2012.

Beach Mural

I find this beach mural “cool” as it says on it, but I can’t find any information at all on its meaning or its creator. So, if anyone out there knows anything, please let me know! 🙏

Black or White

Created in August 2018 by Brazilian artist, Eduardo Kobra, this mural showcases Michael Jackson as a child and an adult. Kobra has more than 500 creations in 17 countries and loves to use many colors especially red and yellow.

The Braves of 9/11

Kobra painted this mural in September 2018 to honor the FDNY firefighters who fought and lost their lives during the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Albert Einstein

Kobra is a fan of Albert Einstein. With a similar creation already in Sao Paulo, he painted another one in NYC of the genius riding a bike.

Herald Square

I love the color and creativity in this mural in Herald Square by Bodan Zhukovskyi. I think because I’ve always liked that “window” or “peekaboo” aspect of art.

Lamp Ladies

Painted by artist and Boston native, Dorothy Iannone, this mural is a tribute to the Statue of Liberty as well as a poem by Emma Lazarus on the inclusion of immigrants.

Mother Teresa and Gandhi

Tolerance, painted in August 2018 by Kobra, portrays Mother Teresa and Gandhi, two figures who represent tolerance.

Statue of Liberty

Painted in September 2012 as part of the LISA Project and Little Italy Merchants Association, this Statue of Liberty was created by Tristan Eaton.

Choose Love

Choose Love was painted in 2017 for 12 Corners next door by Hektad, a Bronx native.

Click 4 Good

This is a cool mural advertising a way to give to top-rated charities just by shopping online!

Stop Wars

Kobra created this Stop Wars mural with C-3PO of Star Wars in October 2018 to show his opposition to war.

Love in Every Color

Another one of Jason Naylor’s masterpieces. His style is very prominent and recognizable.

DNA

The science-lover in me (I have a BS degree in nursing) found this DNA mural interesting. I also found it interesting that I couldn’t really dig up any information on it!

Clandestinos

Clandestinosis a husband and wife duo, Shalak Attack and Bruno Smoky, currently based in Toronto, Canada. Shalak Attack (Elisa Monreal) is Canadian-Chilean and Bruno Smoky (Bruno Revitte) is Brazilian. Their work is inspired by their Latin American heritage and fused together with current events.

Tiffany & Co

Not to be outdone by Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co on 5th Avenue has some mural art of their own!

MAP IT!

PIN IT!

Hope you have a great time getting out there and finding all of the fantastic street art in New York. Of course, there are so many more murals I didn’t get to see. I mean, NYC is huge!

Have you seen any of this street art in New York? If so, let me know which ones you’ve seen. If the mural has changed and is different than what I have shown above, I would love to know what it was when you saw it. Also, if you’ve seen other cool murals I need to add on my next NYC trip, let me know that too!

‘Til next time…

Trimm Travels,

Heather