Crash (born John Matos; October 11, 1961, in Bronx, New York) is a graffiti artist.
Crash (born John Matos; October 11, 1961, in Bronx, New York) is a graffiti artist.
As early as 13, John Matos was spray painting New York City trains, the full image art as opposed to simpler tagging soon transferred to silk screened canvas. [1] [2]
Crash was first noticed through his murals on subway cars and dilapidated buildings and is now regarded as a pioneer of the Graffiti art movement. [3]
His work is said to convey a "visual link between street life and established society". [4] and in 1980, Crash curated the now iconic exhibition:"Graffiti Art Success for America" at Fashion MODA, launching the graffiti movement that has remained very active through today.
In 1983, Crash was given his first gallery showing by Sidney Janis at the Sidney Janis Gallery. [1] [3]
In 1996, Crash painted an Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster and gave it to the artist as a gift. Clapton went on to use the specially designed guitar through his 2001 tour and later appeared with another. In total Crash has created 5 guitars for Clapton, though only three of them have made public appearances. One of Clapton's "Crashocasters" (nicknamed by Eric's former guitar tech, Lee Dickson) auctioned for $321,100 (USD) by the name of "Crash-3" and was used extensively during the first Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004. Soon after Fender Musical Instruments commissioned the creation of 50 such graffiti designed guitars from Crash and named the line "Crashocasters." Crash went on to also design a line of custom painted Telecasters with matching Fender amps. [5] [6] Other artists such as John Mayer and Ed Sheeran have used the custom painted Crashocaster guitars. [7] Crash painted another Crashocaster which Clapton played at the Crossroads Guitar Festival 2019 held at American Airlines Center of Dallas (Texas) on September 20 and 21, 2019. [8]
In 2015, musician Ed Sheeran commissioned a collaboration between Crash and British artist Teddy M to create the 'Crash x Teddy M' Stratocaster. The guitar features Crash's famous eye design and the Teddy M Heart and was debuted by Sheeran during his sold out Wembley Stadium, London shows in July 2015. [9]
In July 2006, the pieces titled "Aeroplane 1" (1983) and "A-U-T-O-matic",(1985), along with other paintings from their permanent collection were displayed in the Brooklyn Museum of Art in a featured exhibit titled "Graffiti." [1] [3] [10]
In 2016, a new series of canvas spray paintings were displayed at JoAnne Artman Gallery in Chelsea for his solo exhibition entitled, "Breaking Ground: Redefining the Urban Experience." [11] In 2018, Crash showed at JoAnne Artman Gallery again for another show, "Concrete Jungle." [12]
Also, in 2010, Crash was commissioned to create a special limited edition luggage for TUMI, Inc. [13]
In 2019, Crash participated in the New York City's "Beyond the Streets," bringing a massive new showcase of the evolution of graffiti and street art to the city that helped it become a global phenomenon. [14]
Eric Patrick Clapton is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. He ranked second in Rolling Stone's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and fourth in Gibson's "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". In 2023, Rolling Stone named Clapton the 35th best guitarist of all time. He was also named number five in Time magazine's list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players" in 2009.
Graffiti is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire.
Howard Duane Allman was an American rock and blues guitarist and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed between 1952 and 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously manufactured the Stratocaster since 1954. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top "horn" shape for balance. "Stratocaster" and "Strat" are trademark terms belonging to Fender. Guitars that duplicate the Stratocaster by other manufacturers are sometimes called S-Type or ST-type guitars. Many prominent rock musicians have been associated with the Stratocaster for use in studio recording and live performances, most notably Eric Clapton, Buddy Holly, David Gilmour, Mark Knopfler, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mark Speer and George Harrison.
Robert William Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards.
The Fender Eric Clapton Stratocaster is the signature model electric guitar of English guitarist Eric Clapton. It was the first signature model guitar released by Fender.
Blackie is the nickname given by Eric Clapton to his favorite Fender Stratocaster.
Andrew Fairweather Low is a Welsh guitarist and singer. He was a founding member and lead singer of 1960s pop band Amen Corner, and in recent years has toured extensively with Roger Waters, Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings.
Eric Clapton is the debut solo studio album by English rock musician Eric Clapton, released in August 1970 by Atco and Polydor Records.
Lady Pink, born Sandra Fabara (1964), is an Ecuadorian-American graffiti and mural artist.
Brownie is the nickname for a Fender Stratocaster that was used extensively by Eric Clapton during the early 1970s, most notably with Derek and the Dominos on their 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs.
John Fekner is an American artist known for his spray painted environmental and conceptual outdoor works.
The Fender Elite Stratocaster is an electric solid body guitar that was manufactured by Fender in 1983 and 1984. The name was revived from 2016 to 2019 with the Fender American Elite Stratocaster Series.
"Clapton is God" is a 1960s meme referencing the English guitarist Eric Clapton. The line was popularised after being spray-painted on a wall in London during the mid-1960s, when Clapton was a member of the Yardbirds and John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, creating the cult of the guitar hero.
Nick Walker is a British graffiti artist originating from Bristol, England. His paintings often feature a bowler-hatted gentleman 'vandal'.
MadC is a graffiti writer and muralist. She was born in Bautzen, Germany, and is most known for her large-scale, outdoor artistic paintings.
The x Tour was the second world concert tour by English singer-songwriter and musician, Ed Sheeran, in support of his second studio album, × (2014). The tour began in Osaka, Japan on 6 August 2014, and continued through Europe, the Americas, Oceania and Asia until 12 December 2015, where the tour ended in New Zealand. Sheeran planned 180 shows. In June 2015, the singer announced a documentary would be filmed during the tour's three sold-out dates, 10–12 July 2015, at 80,000-person capacity Wembley Stadium.
Teddy McDonald is a British contemporary artist. He has painted guitars used by Ed Sheeran, painted with members of the royal family, and painted a Range Rover Autobiography Art Car.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
