Top 5 New York Drawings

There are countless images representing New York. So much so that many platforms have made New York drawing their specialty. Posters, calendars or coloring pages of the city are sold by the thousands. But how have artists paid tribute to this inspiring city? To find out, Artsper offers you its top 5 best drawings of New York!

1. Keith Haring, New York drawings with a social purpose

New York artist of the 80s, Keith Haring is known for his prolific character and his political claims. Despite a short career, he has raised awareness of many social issues. AIDS and crack prevention, denunciation of apartheid and nuclear power, Haring was committed to social struggle. His goal was also to share art with as many people as possible. This is why he dotted the city with his frescoes and willingly used the poster format, a democratic medium par excellence. New York is Book Country is a poster for the New York Book Fair, which was held in 1985. A charity event in which the artist raised funds for the New York Public Library. This emblematic drawing combines elements of the city with Keith Haring’s characteristic characters. A wonderful way to combine political convictions with artwork!

2. Stephen Wiltshire, the most detailed New York drawing

If there is one artist who is a must-see in drawing New York, it is Stephen Wiltshire. Diagnosed with autism at the age of 10, he discovered the following year his extraordinary ability to draw complex architecture, just from memory! At the age of 11, he reproduced perfectly London’s St. Pancras Station, after observing it for only 15 minutes. Gradually, he perfected this incredible gift, to produce increasingly detailed drawings. Fascinated by Wiltshire’s extraordinary abilities, an American television channel offered him a major challenge.  After flying over New York in a helicopter for 20 minutes, he was given the task of reproducing a giant panorama of the city. The result was a famous drawing of New York City, full of countless realistic details. The exact scale, the 6,400 windows of the Empire State Building and the streets of Manhattan are reproduced from memory. A breathtaking performance of a superhuman superpower!

3. Tarek, a colorful underground story of New York

French street artist, Tarek, has contributed to the Hip Hop movement in Europe, especially in France. Having grown up in the Parisian suburbs, he honors places that are little represented – and even less glorified – in art. He is also the first to produce a book in which he gives voice to street artists. In “Paris Tonkar”, he brings the novice public into the world of street art. Exposing the artistic approaches of graffiti artists, Tarek would actively contribute to legitimize street art. This fascinating drawing traces New York’s urban art, from the 1970s to the present day. A tribute to the city that never sleeps, it is a colorful capture of the underground of the street art scene!

4. Guillaume Cornet, an humorous and effervescent portrait

Largely inspired by surrealist perspectives, Guillaume Cornet creates fantastic landscapes entirely made with felt pens. In the middle of improbable geometrical forms, wacky and unexpected characters wander around. With this incredible New York drawing, he delivers a humorous story reminiscent of the effervescence of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. A portrait of the city in which immense buildings and human activity come together in one big happy jumble.

5. Laurence Hochin, the collage drawing of a fantastic city

Laurence Hochin’s collage drawings are enthusiastic travel stories. Using flyer and magazines, she reappropriates popular material to offer her artistic representation of places. In this New York City drawing, she offers a fantastic and colorful landscape, full of winks particular to the city.

New York drawings, a tribute to the city of artists

If New York City drawing is not a style in itself, artists from all over the world pay tribute to it. More cosmopolitan than any other city, New York seems to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration. And you, what is your favorite drawing of the Big Apple?