Van Gogh, Banksy & Walking on High Line.

Mosquitoes flying around a lantern. Audrey Hepburn’s face breaking out of a color splash. A painted bird behind a bush. Then you have a furry cup and a night full of energetic stars. And don’t forget the urban garden on the old railway. New York – a treasure chest of art! 

I’m always interested in street art when visiting big cities. So I did a little research and discovered that wonderful page: Freetoursbyfoot. There you can book tours by local guides who show you around in their neighborhoods. Telling you something about art, food or clothes. At the end you can pay what you want. That’s simply great. So I decided to take part in a tour about the street art of the Lower East Side Manhattan.

The next day we walked around there with a small group of nearly 15 people. Our guide was extremely friendly. He told us a lot about street art history in New York, the artists and their messages. Many graffiti’s on the walls are not illegal anymore. They are even assigned by the owner of the houses and shops. Some are political and tell us something about feminism or peace.

“Oh, is it Banksy?” someone asked. Our guide sighed. “No, it’s not. It just looks like Banksy. Many artists did artwork in that Banksy style. But they haven’t become that famous. That’s why their work has not the same value today.” I know about that because I worked in an art gallery before my trip. That’s a problem many artists do have.

Did I say art gallery? Well, I went to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) as well. The most impressive thing (to me) is their Collection. You can see Dalí’s clocks, a huge tryptic of Monet and his lily ponds and also a furry cup designed by Meret Oppenheim. It’s pretty creepy!