Henry Chalfant, James Prigoff "LEE Handball Court"

More about the LEE Handball Courts:

Of the few mavericks from the Subway art era that make the cut based  
on their iconic breakthroughs, not one thing has weathered the test of  
time and stood guard more while announcing the movements presence than  
the Handball court paintings of (LEE) Quinones.
In short, Lee was well known for his rapid end to end Subway whole car  
paintings before these walls, which meant that he had traversed high  
barriers by 1978 to achieve what he did with these standing street  
masterpieces.
Like towering tablets of a bygone mythological era, NYC's Lower East  
Side Handball courts attracted Lee's eyes to serve as beacons in  
literally ushering in an art movement and its underground brethren to  
the open world above. That open world being the alternative  downtown  
art scene. Vibrant and vanguardist as the walls were at the time,  
arguably they were the templates for todays offshoot street art  
movement since they inspired the late Keith Haring's "Crack is Wack"  
handball wall paintings among others shortly after.

Marinate on this for a minute, under the cover of darkness, armed with  
bags of fat capped Spray paint cans, a track workers ladder, and a  
fierce determination within a mere 10 hour window, Lee pulled off each  
wall in grand splendor to the delight of his fellow Lower East Siders,  
contemporaries, the authorities and the world there after.
The walls are now gone but their impact surely etched in New York art  
history. That being said, here for the first time available, are three  
LEE walls created during that pivotal period of 1978-1982 as a fine  
Limited edition C print from the archives of Jim Prigoff and Henry  
Chalfant, two very important soldiers in their documental feat. Add to  
this the fact that each and every print will be signed and numbered by  
Jim Prigoff, Henry Chalfant and Lee himself, thereby sealing their  
authenticity. A great Christmas and Three Kings Day gift.