Influential graffiti artist DON1 unveiled in new book

In the 1970s, graffiti artist DON 1 was the king of the BMT line.

Other artists admired his unique style but few knew much about the man behind the name. His mystique only grew when he disappeared at the end of the decade.

Turns out he never really went away.

Joe “DON 1” Palattella lives a reclusive life in Astoria, according to longtime fan and graffiti artist Louie “KR. ONE” Gasparro, the author of “Don1, the King from Queens: The Life and Photos of a NYC Transit Graffiti Master.”

COURTESY JOE (DON 1) PALATTELLA

Joe "DON 1" Palattella, a graffiti master from the 1970s, is seen here with some of his tools of the trade. Long-time fan and artist Louie "K.R. ONE" Gasparro recently published a book on the influential graffiti master.

“I was completely blown away,” said Eric Felisbret, a former graffiti artist and documentarian who created the website at149st.com. “We heard all sorts of rumors he had died or moved out of the country.”

Gasparro spent years tracking down Palattella, 54, and found out they both grew up in Astoria. It took months more to convince him to meet in person.

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“We became fast friends,” said Gasparro, 48. “He showed me his original sketch book. He had taken photos of his artwork. He agreed we had to make a book.”

COURTESY LOUIE GASPARRO

This undated photo from the 1970s shows the work of graffiti artist Joe "DON 1" Palattella. Long-time fan and artist Louie (K.R. ONE) Gasparro recently published a book on the influential artist.

But interviewing Palattella was a long process. Gasparro will only say the artist suffers from “neuro-psychosis.”

“He was very talented but he succumbed to the hedonistic lifestyle of the 1970s,” said Gasparro.

He often let Palattella ramble memories and thoughts into a a tape recorder and then sifted through them as he wrote.

Along with his words, Gasparro had access to Palattella’s vast archive of photo negatives. A trained photographer from the High School of Art and Design, Palattella was one of the few graffiti artists who kept a visual log of his work.

DAVID WEXLER

Louie (KR. ONE) Gasparro holds photos of the work of 1970s graffiti legend Joe “ Don 1” Palattella. Gasparro, a former graffiti artist, recently authored the book “Don1, the King from Queens: The Life and Photos of a NYC Transit Graffiti Master.”

“I felt like Howard Carter finding King Tut,” Gasparro said, referring to the famous archeologist.

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Felisbret said Queens was often overshadowed by Bronx and Manhattan in the graffiti world.

“This book will show that Queens had a very important artist in terms of his painting technique and lettering,” he said.

DAVID WEXLER

Graffiti artist Louie "KR. ONE" Gasparro (below) is the author of “Don1, the King from Queens: The Life and Photos of a NYC Transit Graffiti Master.” highlighting the exploits of famed 1970s “tagger” Joe “Don 1” Palattella.

Gasparro said Palattella’s artwork — which often included self portraits — on the old RR train and in local school yards was inspirational.

The subway system’s anti-graffiti efforts in the mid-1980s took away the preferred canvas of the city’s spray-paint Michelangelos.

But the outlaw art went mainstream in ensuing years, as recently evidenced by the Museum of the City of New York’s current “City as Canvas” exhibition.

“It’s an American art form,” said Gasparro. “You don’t have to like abstract expressionism, but it is an art form.”

lcolangelo@nydailynews.com

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