Tracy 168

TRACY 168 (born Michael Tracy in 1958) is an American graffiti artist. He pioneered the art form known as WiLD STYLE.

"Michael Tracy" redirects here. For the English scholar, see Michael Tracey.

Early life

TRACY 168 was an honorary member of the Black Spades. He formed his own group called The Wanted in the 1970s. The Wanted headquarters were in the basement of a building at 166th Street and Woody-crest Avenue in The Bronx.[1]

Career

He is featured extensively in the documentary Just to Get a Rep. He discusses WiLD STYLE and the troubled relationship between graffiti and the established art world.[2] In July 2006, a 1984 work by Tracy covered a subway car door. The work was shown at the Brooklyn Museum of Art during its month-long exhibit, "Graffiti".[3] Tracy was the mentor to many graffitists; Keith Haring and SAMO among them. Despite appearing in major gallery and museum shows, Tracy maintained a solid street presence with his STREET MURALS in Brooklyn and the Bronx, where he currently resides. Tracy 168 is famous for his tags of a drawing called Purple Haze which relates and serves as a tribute to Jimi Hendrix.[4] The artwork was part of the Experience Music Project.

References
  1. Sullivan, Randall. (December 2007). LAbyrinth : a detective investigates the murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the implication of Death Row Records' Suge Knight, and the origins of the Los Angeles Police scandal (First Grove Press ed.). New York. pp. 71–72. ISBN 9781555847432. OCLC 881686209. TRACY 168 was a white street kid so tough that he became a sort of honorary member of the Black Spades, until he formed his own group, The Wanted, which maintained a permanent headquarters in the basement of a building at the corner of 166th Street and Woody-crest Avenue.
  2. "Just to Get a Rep - graffiti/hip-hop documentary - Deluxe Edition". Vimeo. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  3. "Michael Tracy - Crazy Tracy - 1984". About. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  4. "Gallery of Wall Murals by Michael Tracy, TRACY 168, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Bronson and Others". Retrieved 8 October 2014.


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