Gérard Zlotycamia

Gérard Zlotykamien (* 1940 in Paris ) is a graffiti artist and is considered the first street artist.

In 1963, Zlotykamien was the first artist to work in public spaces. Initially with chalk and brush, and later with spray paint, he drew symbolic stick figures, his so-called “Éphémères” (“the ephemeral” / “threatened with disappearing soon”) on walls and other surfaces. These figures were inspired by the burned-in shadows of people after the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima , as well as by the persecution of the Jews in the Third Reich, in which he sees great similarities. Overall, his work was strongly influenced by the themes of war , fascism and communism , as he was born during the Second World War and, according to his own statements, had to endure defamation from his classmates during his school days due to his Jewish descent.

On the night of January 22, 1979, Zlotykamien worked on 15 walls in Ulm with acrylic from the spray can. Some of his drawings were then destroyed, but the artistic quality was recognized at Ulm University , so that they remained untouched there and were later officially included in the Ulm University's art trail.

In addition to his hometown Paris, he also worked in Leipzig , East Berlin , Prague and Johannesburg .

In 2003 he stopped painting his Éphémères. He has been active again since 2012.

literature

• Gérard Zlotykamien: Les Éphémères - Interventions in Leipzig 1991/92 . Photography and text: Christoph Maisenbacher, ISBN 3-929852-01-2 .
• Gerard Zlotykamien, In: Bernhard van Treeck, wall drawings. edition aragon, Moers 1995, ISBN 3-89535-424-4 .
• Caius Burri and Karl-Heinz Reisert: Ulm University Art Path . Ulm Art Foundation "Pro Arte", Ulm 1991.
• Sybille Metze-Prou: Graffiti Art # 11 - Graffiti in Paris . Berlin (Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf) 2000, ISBN 3-89602-343-8 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ See pp. 118-121 in Burri et al.
2. ↑ http://www.mathgoth.com/