Paolo Buggiani: The Artist Who Theorized Street Art

In an interview with Artribune, Italian artist Paolo Buggiani discusses his pioneering role in Street Art, his time in New York in the early 1980s, and his theoretical contributions to the movement. Buggiani, who collected about fifty Subway drawings by Keith Haring between 1981 and 1982, emphasizes that Street Art emerged as a reaction against gallery market manipulation, citing the Transavanguardia as an example of top-down art movements. He distinguishes Street Art from graffiti, arguing that the former is about putting art in public for the people, with a message, while contemporary 'urban art' lacks that revolutionary spirit. Buggiani's own work includes the 'Urban Mythology' series, featuring figures like the Trojan Horse, Icarus, and the Minotaur in New York City, and his use of fire and recycled aluminum. He recalls performances such as painting on snow in 1979, the Pier 34 space on the Hudson River where he hung a life-size Icarus sculpture, and the Rivington School collective. Buggiani also authored two key Italian publications on Street Art: 'Keith Haring. Le lavagne metropolitane e la street art 1980-86' (1996) and 'Pittura Dura. Dal graffitismo alla street art' (1999). He is currently writing a book titled 'La scuola della disobbedienza'. Buggiani received a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1968 for his sculptural experiments.