George Ibañez (born December 31, 1964), also known as “Crime79”, is a New York City-based graffiti artist. His style is rooted in popular culture and often with political messages.
As a street artist, Ibañez uses the tag or name Crime79.[1] From 1977 to 1984, he painted numerous subway cars, including painting an entire train with a poem. A photo of the poem appeared on the opening page of The Graffiti Bible, Subway Art, is Online Right Here! and Subway Art by Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant.[2][3]
Ibañez was a member of a group called “Soul Artists” who were among the first to transition graffiti art from subways to legitimate galleries. Crime79’s first show of paintings was at the Rainbow Gallery in New York City’s SoHo District in 1983. His works were regarded as, “simply the best pieces in the show” by ArtSpeak magazine.[4] In 2009, two of his paintings were sold by the Millon & Associés Auction House in Paris, France.[5][6]
In addition to paintings, Crime79 practices his art in a variety of mediums, including:
