Beautiful losers: street art and the museum

Abstract

During the 1990s and early 2000s, the idea of “DIY” street culture was redefined. This emerging movement was rooted in the popular graffiti and street art of previous decades, but was characterized by a group of young, interdisciplinary artists that lacked formal training, and self-identified as social outcasts. These artists, who included Barry McGee, Mark Gonzales, Ed Templeton, Mike Mills, Spike Jonze, Thomas Campbell, Jo Jackson, Shepard Fairey, Chris Johanson, Margaret Kilgallen, and Harmony Korine, found a platform at the Alleged Gallery in New York, where they were able to collaborate, deface, and create in a singular space. Unfortunately, the Alleged Gallery closed in 2002, and the street art movement developed by these creators was largely left uncharacterized and unrecognized by the art world. However, in 2004, the founder of the Alleged Gallery, Aaron Rose, was given the opportunity to curate an international, touring exhibition, entitled Beautiful Losers, which helped to group these artists into a singular, cohesive movement, while also providing them with a new level of exposure and formal museum recognition. The goal of my paper is to explore the accessibility and impact of street art through the example of the Beautiful Losers exhibition. In particular, I will examine themes of public versus private exhibition spaces, the commodification of art through corporate partnerships, and the idea of “selling out” as an artist.