Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

New York's Best Street Art of 2012


By

Jacob Dobkin

Published Dec 26, 2012

Modified Dec 26, 2012


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

JR on the High Line

 

Gothamist

View all 25


By

Jacob Dobkin

Published Dec 26, 2012

Modified Dec 26, 2012


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

This was a good year for graffiti in NYC; lots of international artists visited, and hometown heroes like Swoon, Judith Supine, Bast, and Elbow Toe returned to the streets after periods of absence. Here are the top 25 pieces of the year, as selected by our resident graffiti photographer Jake Dobkin— if you have notable additions to add, put them in the comments.

If you want to watch a longer slideshow of the year in NYC street art, here's one of the 396 most notable pieces.

Tagged

best of 2012

graffiti

streetart

original


Jacob Dobkin

Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE arts-entertainment

The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.

Before they attempt to fend off LeBron James and the 76ers on Tuesday, the Knicks will have a chance to show off their winning mentality through their tunnel fits.

By

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 19, 2026


Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

By

Sonia Rao

Arts & Entertainment

Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

By

Sonia Rao


Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

By

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

By

Hannah Frishberg

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

By

Sonia Rao


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .