Explosions of Color, Hints of Light: Lee Quiñones

In 2024, artist and actor Lee Quiñones published he first monograph chronicling five decade of influential work as a graffiti writer and studio artist. He spoke with Hrag Vartanian of the Hyperallergic Podcast on the occasion of the monograph;s release coinciding with the exhibit Quinquagenary of new work at the Charlie James in the Spring of 2024. 

Quiñones, Lee. "The Lion's Den" (1982. Spray paint on Concrete, 17 ft x 26 ft. Corlears Junior High School, Lower East Side, New York, New York. Photo by Martha Cooper.

The monograph "Lee Quiñones: Fifty Years of New York Graffiti Art and Beyond" presents a comprehensive view into the artist's body of work as he transitioned from notorious street writer to world-renown studio artist. His detailed sketches and notes speak to the discipline that made his long term success. The monograph placing the work in context providing a well documented history commemorating not just his prolificacy and genius but also seismic shifts in culture over decades.

Lee Quiñones first took note of graffiti art as he rode the subway as a child. Quiñones loved trains, and his mother would patiently wait with him on the subway platform for a 1930s chocolate-colored train car to arrive. Taking a seat in the dimly lit cabin as the train car shuttled through subterranean tunnels, Quiñones would look out the window and marvel at the bright flashes of color, introducing strange but welcome newness to the walls of a decaying urban landscape. 

Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico in 1960, Quiñones grew up in New York City during a time of chaos and financial distress for the municipality. The city was in such a state of neglect and decay that it felt dystopian. Navigating a tough neighborhood but with solid support from his family particularly his mother, Quiñones developed a rare aptitude for bouncing about the city's varied neighborhoods. He sought to make a positive and lasting impact on the city. His willingness to venture far and wide allowed him to soak in the rich landscape of music and culture. 

As a young teenager he joined a community of taggers who worked in the dead of night to spray paint subway walls and whole train cars on stunning ambitious scales. A master of the Wildstyle form of graffiti, Quiñones overlays realistic and abstract elements in his works. His block lettering stood out for its high readability, typographic consistency, and massive scale. Often associated with hip hop culture, in reality Wildstyle reflects the complexity of wider culture that is much more diverse. First drawn to the blur of color sweeping past his train car window, Quiñones gained a reputation for his rich color palette...sourcing spray cans from European companies so that he could be the first to introduce new colors.

By the time Quiñones reached his late teens, efforts to erase graffiti pushed artists like Quiñones above ground. He created his first mural "Howard the Duck" (1978) on a handball wall at his junior high school in an act of civil disobedience. In the upper left-hand corner of the burner, he wrote, "Graffiti is an art and if art is a crime, let God forgive us all." Later, as his reputation and influence grew, the leadership of his school formally asked him to create another mural on the opposite side of the same wall. Quiñones returned in the dead of night and, as with "Howard the Duck" (1978), produced "The Lion's Den" (1982) in one evening session. 

Quiñones, Lee. "Howard the Duck” (1978). Spray paint on Concrete, 17 ft x 26 ft. Corlears Junior High School, Lower East Side, New York, New York. Photo by Martha Cooper.

The two murals provide a contrast and demonstrate innovations Quiñones introduced beyond color. Quiñones produced "Howard the Duck" (1978) in a more cartoonish style while, in the Lion's Den (1982), Quiñones experimented with using the medium of spray paint to create illusions of depth and volume through light and shadow. The tone of the two pieces also represents a shift. Howard the Duck is crouched defensively behind a trash can protecting himself from the exploding force of color and bold lettering of LEE cracking through the wall. In contrast in the later mural, a roaring lion sits in a bleak subterranean dungeon protecting LEE and promising hints of blue sky light. 

As a whole, the monograph chronicles Quiñones' journey as a dedicated community-minded innovator whose ambitions for himself and his city reach beyond their current dire straits towards something more giving, supportive, and alive. As Quiñones transitioned from concrete to linen canvases, he often revisited street scenes from his youth capturing portraits of himself and his peers in action....pouring vibrancy and hope into wasted spaces. The street art he produced with his peers is particularly noteworthy in its lasting influence...its ability to challenge the status quo, to defy the powers that be, to demand more of the present, and indeed to reach beyond. Though they produced transient work but they delivered moving memorable art to the masses for all to experience and draw from. Quiñones' work is a bold invitation to action and testament to the profound legacy of street art. Its impermanency does not lessen its power or dampen its reach.

References

Quiñones, Lee. Lee Quiñones: Fifty Years of New York Graffiti Art and Beyond. Damiani, 2024. ISBN 978-8-8620-8811-4.

Vartanian, Hrag. “Lee Quiñones: Graffiti and the Gallery.” Hyperallergic, Episode 102, 03 May 2024. https://podcast.hyperallergic.com/episodes/lee-quinones-graffiti-and-the-gallery. Accessed 09 September 2025.

Hyperallergic (Hrag Vartanian). “Early NYC graffiti pioneer Lee Quiñones dishes about the story behind his famous handball court mural, Lion's Den.” Instagram. 06 May 2024. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C6oWMbIOGG1/.

Quiñones, Lee. LEE QUIÑONES. https://www.leequinones.com. Accessed 09 September 2025.
Quiñones, Lee. Quinquagenary. Exhibition, 20 April - 25 May 2024. Charlie James Gallery, Los Angeles CA. https://www.cjamesgallery.com/exhibitions/quinquagenary. Accessed 09 September 2025.

Gottlieb, Lisa. Graffiti Art Styles: A Classification System and Theoretical Analysis. MacFarland, 10 January 2014. ISBN 978-0-7864-5225-5.