LA Times Article: Cristian Gheorghiu

From the last post, I was skimming over the Los Angeles Times and found an article on Cristian Gheorghiu titled: “Graffiti Art: A Creative Solution.”

Resembling the graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat who painted on public property before crossing into canvas, Gheorghiu was a street graffiti artist known as “Smear” who was arrested multiple times and owes $23,000 in property damages.

Now, he paints legally. However, City Atty. Carmen Trutanich, has filed to sue Gheorghiu for damages for his past endeavors. He was arrested in 2009 for his affiliation with a graffiti group he ran with called "MTA". The group had created a 100-meter wide mural along the basin of the Los Angeles River. Although he had stopped painting with the group, he had been arrested for past affiliation.

In 2006, he crossed into being a serious artist by having his first gallery in San Francisco. Now, his large pieces go for $2500, according to the article. 

                                                            Photo by Los Angeles Times