GATEWAY: From Graffiti to Gallery

Art / Special Exhibitions / GATEWAY: From Graffiti to Gallery

From the tunnels of New York’s subway system to the walls of international galleries, GATEWAY: From Graffiti to Gallery charts how five artists formalized unauthorized acts of self-expression into an artistic language that commands institutional recognition. From Basquiat’s cryptic script, Haring’s energetic subway drawings, and Scharf’s pop surrealism, to KAWS’ advertising interventions, and Banksy’s political stencils, the exhibition creates a dialogue between the raw immediacy, public accessibility, and cultural commentary that define these artists’ origins in graffiti. As their art moves from ephemeral public spaces to permanent collections, GATEWAY celebrates these artists’ relationship to an underrecognized movement that has made a lasting impact on contemporary art.

Immersive presentations of KAWS’ CHUM paintings and Kenny Scharf’s Evolution Revolution series highlight the roles repetition and scale play in graffiti, while the unconventional surfaces and iconography of Basquiat, Haring, and Banksy bring the grit of city streets onto gallery walls. Drawing fully from works held in the collection of the Masterworks Foundation, GATEWAY: From Graffiti to Gallery, does not seek to be a comprehensive history of the graffiti movement’s impact on contemporary art, but rather an investigation into how graffiti influenced five intertwined artistic practices beyond the street-level.

September 1, 2026 - September 1, 2027

Exhibition organized by:

Generously supported by
Presenting Sponsor

with additional support from:

Crampton Trust
Mobile Museum of Art Foundation
The J. L. Bedsole Foundation
Mobile County
Deborah Doyle and David Kemerer
Dr. and Mrs. W. Allen Oaks
A. S. Mitchell Foundation
The Caring Foundation of Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Alabama
Gwin’s Commercial Printing
Hargrove Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Harold D. Parkman
92ZEW
Dr. and Mrs. William E. Barrick
Visit Mobile
Volkert, Inc.
68 Ventures Foundation
Bill and Sandra Agerton
Birdie & Cricket Headbands
Winky and Bill Dowdle
Nigel and Betsy Glenday
Jeff and Yuko Jordan
in memory of Mary E. Rodning
Grey and Elizabeth Redditt
Dr. Charles L. Rich and Ms. Susanne S. Carney
Elan Vital (Dr. Charles B. Rodning)
Elizabeth Seaver
Michael Smith and Karen Carr
Dr. Franklin Trimm and Mr. Robert Koch
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas “Bragg” Van Antwerp, Jr.

See the Art

Featured Work

Banksy, Stop & Search (2020)
Spray paint and acrylic on board, in three panels, 95.6 x 123 in. Courtesy of Masterworks and Level & Co Gallery. © Banksy

KAWS, CHUM (KCO13) (2016)
Acrylic on canvas over panel. 60 x 49 in. Courtesy of Masterworks and Level & Co Gallery. © KAWS

Keith Haring, Untitled (1983)
Vinyl ink on vinyl tarpaulin with metal grommets, 84.875 x 85.25 in. Courtesy of Masterworks and Level & Co Gallery. © Keith Haring Foundation

Kenny Scharf, Evolution Revolution I (2023)
Acrylic and enamel on canvas, 96 x 236 in. Courtesy of Masterworks and Level & Co Gallery. © Kenny Scharf

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