Work of the graffiti artist him land in the Museum and the prison (Reuters)

an artist of graffiti, whose work is went to earlier this month a prestigious Museum in Los Angeles was sentenced to 45 days in prison on Wednesday to practice the same profession in New York.

Angel Ortiz, 44, was arrested three times in March for spray-painting "Laroc" - his tag - on walls and buildings in downtown Manhattan.

He was sent to Rikers Island prison, on the third and therefore missed his chance to attend the opening of this month of "Art in the Streets," an exhibition of art graffiti and street at the Contemporary Art Museum of Los Angeleswhich includes works by Ortiz.

"I went out walking my dog, I brought a can with me - I should have done, I knew sooner or later I would have caught", he said a police officer, as he was arrested the third timeWill can in hand, according to a complaint filed to the Court by the Office of the Attorney of District of Manhattan.

Ortiz pleaded guilty Wednesday to charge high against him - to fourth-degree criminal mischief - and was sentenced to 45 days in prison, including the months already served.

"He was going on a tear I've not seen done for years", Heidi Follin, who represents Ortiz through his gallery, in New York said in a telephone interview after the hearing.

She said that it had been affected by the death of his wife in January from disease.

"It is so bad-graffiti right now that I think just, he came out and showed their which a king,"she said."".

Work of canvas of Ortiz, that passes under the name of the II, selling thousands of dollars, says Follin.

His reputation as a pioneer of the art of the street earned him inclusion in the MOCA exhibition, which was described by Jeffrey Deitch, Director of the Museum, as "the first exhibition of positioning the work of the most influential artists to emerge from the street culture in the context of the history of contemporary art".

It includes works by some of the best-known proponents of the form, including Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, with which Ortiz worked in the 1980s. MOCA does not return calls seeking comment Monday.

Los Angeles Police have said they feared that the exhibition could encourage an increase in graffiti in the neighbourhood of the Museum. Jason Williams, another author of graffiti in the exhibition, which is the name of virtue, was sentenced to 180 days in jail for violating the terms of his probation following a previous conviction of vandalism, according to media reports.