Spacejunk Art Centers takes today a close look at 17 legendary graffiti artists who made the Graffiti Story. Graffiti: the word takes its etymology from the ancient Greek word graphein which means to write, to draw or to paint at the same time … The graffiti movement started in the late 60s in the US with graffiti artists such as Cornbread and Cool Earl in Philadelphia. It is in the 70s that the movement took its rise in New York.