Crash (John Matos)
Crash, born John Matos in the Bronx in 1961, is one of the pioneering figures of the graffiti movement and a key player in the “Aerosol Revolution”.He began painting on New York subway cars at a very young age, before gradually extending his practice to canvas. In 1983 he joined the legendary Sidney Janis Gallery, a …
Crash, born John Matos in the Bronx in 1961, is one of the pioneering figures of the graffiti movement and a key player in the “Aerosol Revolution”.
He began painting on New York subway cars at a very young age, before gradually extending his practice to canvas. In 1983 he joined the legendary Sidney Janis Gallery, a significant milestone in the recognition of graffiti within the contemporary art world.
His works went on to enter major international collections, including those of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Crash gained wider visibility through several collaborations with Keith Haring, notably for the Peter Stuyvesant advertising campaign.
In France, he became known through his participation in the landmark exhibition 5/5 Figuration Libre, France–USA at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1984, alongside artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Combas, Hervé Di Rosa, Keith Haring, Tseng Kwong Chi and François Boisrond.
Influenced by comics, advertising aesthetics and vivid colour palettes, Crash situates his work in the lineage of Pop Art while helping move graffiti from subculture to a major form of contemporary artistic expression.
He began painting on New York subway cars at a very young age, before gradually extending his practice to canvas. In 1983 he joined the legendary Sidney Janis Gallery, a significant milestone in the recognition of graffiti within the contemporary art world.
His works went on to enter major international collections, including those of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.
Crash gained wider visibility through several collaborations with Keith Haring, notably for the Peter Stuyvesant advertising campaign.
In France, he became known through his participation in the landmark exhibition 5/5 Figuration Libre, France–USA at the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1984, alongside artists such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Robert Combas, Hervé Di Rosa, Keith Haring, Tseng Kwong Chi and François Boisrond.
Influenced by comics, advertising aesthetics and vivid colour palettes, Crash situates his work in the lineage of Pop Art while helping move graffiti from subculture to a major form of contemporary artistic expression.
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