14 - Copyright in Street Art and Graffiti in the Netherlands

Summary

Graffiti and street art is ubiquitous – it may even be one of the fastest expanding artistic movements. 1 According to a Dutch daily evening newspaper, the presence of graffiti and street art in Amsterdam and Rotterdam has increased significantly between 2014 and 2016. The number of square meters of graffiti on metro trains in Amsterdam alone rose by 50 % (from 6.000 to 9.000 square meters) during these years. 2 In particular Amsterdam has become one of the most influential graffiti and street art scenes in the world:3 it actively hosts exhibitions of graffiti and street art. 4 In its Street Art Museum Amsterdam, 5 an advanced collection of Dutch graffiti and street artworks is preserved. But also in the very south of the Netherlands, the city of Heerlen features a wide collection of colourful graffiti artworks in the city centre, whereby the municipality pursues a conscious and respecting policy towards street and urban art. 6 One of the most famous graffiti and street artists from the Netherlands is Ces53. Whilst Ces53 started as a graffiti artist, he now also makes sculptures, as a more elaborated form of street art. 7 Another Dutch painter and street artist is Super A, who is known for realistic paintings of a dreamy and surreal atmosphere.