Over the past two weeks, three street artist kings have been busy fancying-up the West Hollywood Library in L.A. The site isn’t set to open until October, but it looks like the outdoor decorative work is nearly completed. Last week, we showed you Retna‘s completed mural and Shepard Fairey‘s work-in-progress. Since then, Kenny Scharf has started and completed his work, and Fairey is done as well.

Together, the works cover a range of themes. Retna’s piece, painted on one side of the parking garage built for the library, is a myriad of symbols. Once decoded, they spell out a Salman Rushdie quote about the importance of literacy.

Shepard Fairey’s work, shown above, features some heavy stenciling. The mural took about a week to complete, which is ages is street art terms. “We finished Saturday after six days working between 12 and 16 hours. It is 70 feet by 106 feet. It is the largest mural I’ve ever done wheat-pasted or painted,” Fairey wrote on his website. “It was quite an undertaking and I have to thank my assistants Nic Bowers, Dan Flores, Jason Filipow, Kyle Oldoerp, and the several interns who worked very hard on the project.” The mural’s design seems to have very exotic influences, and the depictions themselves convey a strong message. Fairey fittingly dubbed the work his “West Hollywood Peace Elephant,” and the dove is also a known symbol of peace and harmony.

Last but not least, we have Kenny Scharf‘s well-known and easily-recognized characters, on the third side of the parking structure. Compared to the other two pieces, Scharf’s mural is a bit more laid back, but it still manages to convey quite a bit of emotion in the many, colorful faces. The stark contrast also brings a fun-loving element to the entire project.

The three murals were brought together by MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch, who suggested the project after touring the library when it was under construction. The three artists were all featured in the MOCA “Art in the Streets” exhibition, and they must have been thrilled to be featured here because they funded everything themselves. The city of West Hollywood will pay for anti-UV and anti-graffiti coating, but as Fairey said online, “Calm down taxpayers… I was not paid to do the mural and paid for my own supplies and labor.” Furthermore, West Hollywood officials approved all artwork before anything was painted.

What’s next? Well, for Fairey, it’ll be the inside of the library. The artist has already been commissioned to do some indoor work with David Wiseman.

As for the murals, they’ll be on display for at least a year, through July 2012.

Photos Via L.A. Times.

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Over the summer, RESPECT. has been following Kenny Scharf all over the east coast, from New York to Philadelphia, but this time it looks like he’s headed over to California. Scharf will complete The West Hollywood Library‘s transformation, following RETNA and Shepard Fairey who both worked on it this week.

All three artists are curated by MOCA and decided to contribute to this makeover.

RETNA started off one-third of the wall with his trademark calligraphy-style– a blue-and-white assortment of code symbols. The inscription, once translated, is a quote from novelist and essayist Salman Rushdie. It says, ““Literature is where I go to explore the highest and lowest places in human society and in the human spirit, where I hope to find not absolute truth but the truth of the tale, of the imagination, and of the heart.” Fitting.

Right now, Shepard Fairey is taking the stage over at the West Hollywood Library. His work is still in progress, but this is what we have so far: A bright yellow canvas with some black stenciling. Stenciling is a long process, so looks like it’ll be a while before Fairey completes his work, but so far it certainly looks impressive.

Scharf should be set to start sometime next week.

Via Hypebeast.

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Brooklyn-based graffiti artist Swoon, who is known for her wheatpaste prints and paper cutouts, is hitting her borough this summer with a number of new pieces. Swoon’s productions seem to be on the rise, as she was featured earlier this year in MOCA‘s “Art in the Streets”, and currently, her instillation Thalassa can be seen in the atrium of the New Orleans Museum of Art. Included in the new works that we’ve been seeing around Brooklyn, is a variation on her MOCA instillation (pictured above). I’m liking what I’m seeing and hope to see more of Swoon; be it in the streets or in museums.

Photos via StreetArtNews

More photos of Swoon’s recent works after the jump.

Swoon at MOCA : Photo via Arrested Motion

Swoon at NOMA : Photos via Nuart

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We presume Banksy has done all right for himself, financially speaking, so maybe that’s an incentive to share a little.  The British street artist has paid for admissions to the “Art in the Streets“ exhibition on Mondays through August 8^th when the show closes.  In Banksy’s words, “I don’t think you should have to pay to look at graffiti. You should only pay if you want to get rid of it”.  Agreed.  Now you have no excuse not to go.

via Juxtapoz

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Art in the Streets is the first major U.S. museum survey of graffiti and street art. Curated by MOCA Director Jeffrey Deitch and Associate Curators Roger Gastman and Aaron Rose, the exhibition will trace the development of graffiti and street art from the 1970s to the global movement it has become today, concentrating on key cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, and Sao Paulo, where a unique visual language or attitude has evolved. The exhibition will feature paintings, mixed media sculptures, and interactive installations by 50 of the most dynamic artists and will emphasize Los Angeles’s role in the evolution of graffiti and street art, with special sections dedicated to seminal local movements such as cholo graffiti and Dogtown skateboard culture. A comprehensive timeline illustrated with artwork, photos, video, and ephemera will provide a historical context for the work.

Art in the Streets is made possible by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

This exhibition is generously supported by the Sydney Irmas Exhibition Endowment.

Major support is provided by Levi’s. Additional support is provided by Mandy and Cliff Einstein, Nike SB, MOCA Contemporaries, Janet and Tony Goldman, MOCA Partners, Montana Colors, and Greg Escalante.

In-kind media support is provided by Ovation, Los Angeles magazine, and KCRW 89.9 FM.

Open until August 18, 2011

via MOCA

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