Henry Chalfant and James Prigoff's book Spray Can Art documented early movements across the globe. The book proved to be an additional catalyst for the expansion of aerosol art world-wide. By the late '80s the European movement was long established and was in full force. The second generation Europeans were forging friendships with their American idols. The Europeans thirsted to paint in the birthplace of the art.
Many European writers bomb New York so effectively, that people believe they are from New York.
Many New York writers also went to Europe. Some European were so willing to cater to American writers that they would provide airfare, accommodations, and paint. The bragging rights for painting with an American were priceless. For some Americans going to hit trains in Italy or Germany has become just like a trip form Brooklyn to the Bronx. In the late 1980s the MTA began a massive retirement of its flat cars from all three divisions.