Blek le Rat was born Xavier Prou[1] in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris in 1952.[2] He is considered[by whom?] the godfather of stencil graffiti art. He studied painting and architecture. He began his artwork in Paris in 1981. Since then he has had a great influence on today's graffiti and "guerilla art" movements, his main motivation being social consciousness and the desire to bring art to the people. British graffiti artist Banksy has acknowledged Blek's influence saying "every time I think I've painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek Le Rat has done it as well, only twenty years earlier." This quote was taken from the cover of the DVD Original Stencil Pioneer by King Adz, which in turn led to Thames & Hudson approaching King Adz to write the book - Getting Through the Walls. It has been said that before King Adz' involvement, Blek was unheard of and could not give his art away.[3]
In October 2006, Blek le Rat had his first solo U.K. exhibition in London at the Leonard Street Gallery. Blek also had an exhibition in December 2009 at the Metro Gallery in Melbourne, a centre of street art in Australia (see: Street Art in Melbourne). The exhibition entitled; "Le Ciel Est Bleu, La Vie Est Belle" (The sky is blue, life is beautiful), features wooden panels, canvas, screen-print and photographs. It traces the artist's oeuvre from the early 1980's to the present.
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Influences
- Banksy & Blek le Rat have influenced one another and heightened the stencil street art movement. [4]
- In December 2009, Blek le Rat expressed a desire to collaborate with Banksy and talked about how Banksy sent him a piece of his art; the full chat can be watched in the Blek le Rat on Banksy video.
References
- ^ "Blek le Rat, the man who gave birth to Banksy". The Sunday Times. 8 June 2008. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article4066727.ece.
- ^ "Blek le Rat: This is not a Banksy". The Independent. 19 April 2008. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art-and-architecture/features/blek-le-rat-this-is-not-a-banksy-811130.html. Retrieved 21 May 2008.
- ^ "Breaking the Banksy: The first interview with the world's most elusive artists". http://www.dailymail.co.uk/moslive/article-1024130/Breaking-Banksy-The-interview-worlds-elusive-artist.html.
- ^ Blek le Rat on Banksy [1]
Further reading
- Blek le Rat - Getting Through the Walls by Sybille Prou and King Adz. Thames & Hudson (2008). ISBN 9780500287354
External links
- Official Website
- http://www .examiner.com/x-3879-Salt-Lake-City-Fine-Arts-Examiner~y2009m3d13-ASSASSINATION-Blek-Le-Rat-Xavier-Prou-Artist-Represented-by-Jonathan-Levine-Gallery
- Curbs and Stoops Interview
- Grafiteros - ElPais.com
- Fecal Face interview (04/2008)
- Nylon interview (04/2008)
- Swindle Magazine Interview [2]
- Canned Goods - Blek Le Rat Interview (September '08)
- [3]
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