The Tipping Point Between Vandalism and Art

 

Not all vandalism is created equal.

 

Some artists operate under the firm belief that they have to bring art to the streets. They spray graffiti on walls, paint murals, create public sculptures and more. Sometimes it's a collective of people who manage to turn a public space into an art installation.

 

However, public art isn’t always approved. Art styles like graffiti have long been frowned upon by governments for being a destructive vandalization of public property.

 

But street art occurs anyway. In fact, some pieces have managed to rise above the legal condemnation, turning into mainstay pieces that unite public audiences. What was once considered vandalism often acquires substantial meaning and an intense following.

 

Here are some acts of vandalism that have gone on to be considered works of art in their own right.

 

 

Couples from all over the world flock to Paris for good luck. They bring a padlock to the Pont des Arts bridge, lock it on, then toss the key into the Seine River.

 

There are thousands of locks on the bridge, a symbol of hopeless romanticism that Paris represents. However, plenty of Parisians aren't fond of the act, and a large petition (started by two American women) received more than 1,600 signatures to have the locks removed.

 

Jean-Pierre Lecoq, the mayor of the 6th arrondisement (district) told USA Today that the locks weighed down the bridge. Officials have also removed a chunk of the padlocks, replacing part of the bridge with a wooden board.

 

However, that hasn't stopped many tourists from going to the bridge and attaching their padlocks anyway.

 

 

Yup, the image you're looking at is a wall decorated entirely with old gum. In the early '90s, people waiting in line for Seattle's Market Theatre would put their gum on the wall. Over the years, more and more gum was accrued until the wall became a gooey, colorful display.

 

Officials from Pike Place Market, where the theater is housed, asked for the buildup to be removed in the wall's early days. However, by around 1998, the gum wall gained a reputation with tourists and natives alike, viewed as installation rather than vandalism.

 

 

In his day, Oscar Wilde was a celebrated author and playwright, noted for his wit and romantic streak. More than 100 years later, he's still a famous icon in the literary world.

 

Fans trek from all over to visit his grave in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. But they don't just leave flowers -- they leave bright red lipstick kisses and scrawl messages onto his aged tombstone.

 

The kissing tradition began in the late '90s. However, it didn't sit well with Wilde's descendants, particularly his grandson, Merlin Holland. He raised money with French authorities and the Irish government in 2011 to have the stone restored, then surrounded by a glass wall.

 

And yet, the glass is already covered with new kisses.

 

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