As the vibrant pulse of Art Basel returns to Miami this December, the city’s Wynwood neighborhood is once again at the center of the global art conversation. But among the sleek galleries and high-profile satellite shows, one institution stands out for its singular mission: the Museum of Graffiti, which is celebrating its sixth anniversary with a slate of major exhibitions and events that both honor and challenge the evolving legacy of street art.
Founded six years ago by Alan Ket and a partner, the Museum of Graffiti claims a unique distinction as the world’s first museum devoted solely to graffiti and street art, according to NPR. Its location couldn’t be more fitting—Wynwood, Miami’s renowned arts district, is a living canvas where nearly every building is adorned with large, colorful murals, and the air seems perpetually charged with creative energy. This year, the museum’s anniversary celebration coincides with Art Basel week, drawing international attention to the institution’s ambitious programming.
Beginning December 3, the museum is unveiling two major exhibitions, each offering a window into a different facet of graffiti’s rich history. The first, titled El Tiguere, shines a spotlight on the influential career of Jon Perello—better known as JonOne—a pioneering artist whose journey from the streets of New York to global recognition mirrors the trajectory of graffiti itself. The second, aptly named Origins, chronicles the movement’s beginnings, featuring work from the seminal 1973 Razor gallery show that first brought the creations of young street artists into the rarefied world of New York galleries.
Inside the museum, visitors are greeted not just by art, but by the tools of the trade. One of the first exhibits is a collection of vintage spray paint cans, including a prized Cascade green Rust-oleum can from 1973. Museum founder and curator Alan Ket holds up the can with a reverence usually reserved for rare artifacts. "This is a Cascade green Rust-oleum paint," he explains. "This one is from 1973." Today, collectors will pay up to $1,000 for such a can, a testament to the significance of even the materials used by early graffiti writers. "This green was only made by Rust-oleum," Ket says. "No other brand made something so nice. So, when you paint a rusty train with this mint green, the effect is quite extraordinary."
For Ket, the museum is more than a showcase—it’s a mission to tell the story of an art movement that began in the 1960s and 1970s, when teenagers started spray-painting their names across New York City. Among those early pioneers was JonOne, who, at 61, has seen graffiti evolve from an act of rebellion to a globally celebrated art form. Reflecting on his beginnings, JonOne recalls, "I didn't have no money, so I was stealing all my spray paint. That was the first grant, I would say." Starting out tagging buildings in his Washington Heights neighborhood, JonOne’s work soon expanded to the city’s subway cars, which he saw as a unique kind of gallery. "Trains for me [were] like an open gallery. All types of people can see it—tourists, business people, people going to work, poor people. It became sort of like a moving canvas, a moving museum that would come to you."
Of course, not everyone viewed these acts of creative expression so kindly. In those early days, graffiti was widely condemned as vandalism—a stigma that, in some circles, persists to this day. But as Ket points out, the 1973 Razor gallery show marked a turning point. "The Razor gallery show in 1973 was that big boom that showed these young artists that they had a lane, they had an opportunity that they could pursue." That moment, captured in the Origins exhibition, helped set the stage for graffiti’s eventual ascent into mainstream acceptance.
Over the decades, graffiti has spread far beyond its New York roots, transforming cityscapes around the world and attracting the attention of luxury brands, museums, and even governments. Works by artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat and Banksy have fetched millions at auction, and cities now regularly commission street artists to create monumental public projects. "Now, graffiti artists are called street artists," Ket observes. "And they are commissioned by cities around the world to create monumental public art projects." Yet, as he’s quick to note, the traditional art establishment has been slow to fully embrace the genre. Blue-chip institutions may host temporary exhibitions, but few have added street art to their permanent collections—a gap Ket hopes the Museum of Graffiti can help bridge.
JonOne’s own journey reflects both the challenges and triumphs of this evolving art form. His paintings have adorned everything from Air France jets to Hennessy cognac labels, and his solo show at the Museum of Graffiti will run through June 2026. Despite this success, he acknowledges the lingering stigma attached to street art. "It's like having that girlfriend that you don't want to show your Moms, you know? You love her and everything, but you don't want to bring her home…Sometimes I feel like that." Even so, JonOne remains optimistic, believing that true recognition is only a matter of time.
The Museum of Graffiti’s dual exhibitions—El Tiguere and Origins—invite visitors to consider not just the evolution of style, but the shifting perceptions of value, legitimacy, and cultural impact. The Origins show, which runs through the end of 2025, offers a rare look at the early days of graffiti, while JonOne’s solo exhibition provides a living link to those formative years. Together, they underscore the museum’s commitment to honoring both the roots and the future of street art.
As Art Basel week draws art lovers from around the globe, the Museum of Graffiti stands as a testament to the enduring power of creative expression—even, or especially, when it starts on the margins. In Wynwood, the lines between street and gallery, rebellion and recognition, are more blurred than ever. And for the artists who once risked arrest to paint their visions on subway cars, that’s a development worth celebrating.
