NEW YORK.- Masters from the 1970s NYC graf movement (Blade, Crash, Daze, Jonone, Quik, Lee Quinones, Rammellzee, Sharp) and European art stars (Victor Ash, Banksy, Blek le Rat, Ikon, Sozyone, Plateus) are among 19 painters, sculptors and photographers who’ve been working non-stop the last six months on new pieces for “Whole In The Wall: 1970 – Now”. It’s an unprecedented, museum-quality, 150-piece exploration of street art’s ongoing transition to, yes, fine art.

It’s not just the scale of the show that’s important. It’s presented in a lavish style only Europeans could pull off — with 17th Century antiques. This juxtaposition of authentic Luis XVI/XV furniture and crystal chandeliers in a two-story, 25,000-sf space on Manhattan’s industrial West Side puts the artists and their work in a setting Paris gallerists Chantal and Brigitte Helenbeck (Helenbeck Gallery) believe is simply . . . approprié.

The fun-loving, art-loving sisters — identical twins no less — staged a similar show in Paris in November, in which ALL pieces sold, explaining why their artists have been so hard at work). Well aware that NYC street artists command more major museum shows and higher prices in Europe galleries, the Helenbeck’s hope their dramatic presentation will inspire an elevated view of the genre in the city where it was born.

Legendary NYC graf photographers Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant will also feature works, including a new, 40-foot Cooper mural. This show also marks the 25th anniversary re-release of Cooper and Chalfant’s groundbreaking photo book of NYC transit masterpieces, “Subway Art.”