A-One (graffiti artist) facts for kids

Anthony Clark (1964 – November 11, 2001), known as A-One, was an American artist. He was famous for his graffiti art. He created a unique style he called "aerosol expressionism."

A-One's Early Life and Art

A-One was born in Manhattan, New York, in 1964. He grew up in the Mitchel Houses in the South Bronx. His parents were Janette Gordon Clark and Anthony Eden Clark.

He started painting when he was just six years old. In the mid-1970s, he began writing graffiti on subway cars. A-One joined a graffiti group called Tag Master Killers. This group was led by Rammellzee. Other members included Delta2, Kool Koor, and Toxic.

Each artist in the group created their own special way of drawing letters. This was based on Rammellzee's idea called Gothic Futurism. This idea said that graffiti was like using letters as weapons. It was a way to take back language from a "sick culture" that tried to control people.

Bringing Graffiti to Art Galleries

In the early 1980s, A-One and his friends were among the first graffiti artists. They helped bring their original art and music from the Bronx and Queens to the art scene in downtown New York.

In 1982, A-One, Toxic, and Kool Koor showed their work together. It was part of a show called Camouflaged Panzerism. This show was held at Fashion Moda in the South Bronx.

A-One was a good friend and worked with the famous artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. Basquiat helped A-One learn how to work with art galleries. Basquiat even painted A-One in two of his artworks: Portrait of A-One A.K.A. King (1982) and Anthony Clark (1985). In 2020, Portrait of A-One A.K.A. King sold for $11.5 million.

Exhibitions and Recognition

In 1983, A-One showed his art in London at the Lisson Gallery. He also took part in the Post-Graffiti exhibit at the Sidney Janis Gallery in New York.

In 1984, his art was shown in several group exhibitions:

• Arte di Frontiera: New York Graffiti in Italy
• Classical American Graffiti Writers and High Graffiti Artists in Munich, Germany
• Rapid Enamel: The Art of Graffiti at the University of Chicago

A-One made history in 1984. He became the youngest artist ever to show his work at the Venice Biennale. This is a very important art exhibition in Italy.

His art was also featured in a special exhibition. It was called Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation. This show was at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It ran from October 2020 to July 2021.

A-One also had many solo art shows:

• Galeria Salvatore Ala, Milan, Italy (1983)
• Piccolo Museum in Lecce, Italy (1985)
• Galerie Quintessens, in Utrecht, the Netherlands (1990)
• Galleria Salvatore + Caroline Ala in Milan, Italy (2010)

Later Life

For some time, A-One lived in Verona, Italy. Later, he moved to Paris, France. He continued to create art there until he passed away. He died at age 37 on November 11, 2001, due to an illness.

He is survived by his older brother, Octavius "Ocky" Clark. Ocky Clark is a famous athlete who won a gold medal in the 1991 Pan American Games.