Blek Le Rat

Blek the rat (pseudonym of Xavier Prou, who is inspired by the comic book character Blek le Roc) was one of the first artists of & nbsp; graffiti & nbsp; in Paris, and was described as the "Stencil father". Prou began studies at the School of Fine Arts in Paris in 1972 and obtained his superior DSAP plastic arts diploma in 1976. He was recognized at the international level (Banksy & Nbsp; is one of his admirers who recognize his influence) as One of the pioneers of street art. He began painting in 1981, first with a friend under the collective name of Blek, then alone. In 1992, he was sentenced to a great fine in the criminal court for "& nbsp; degradation of goods belonging to others". From then on, he no longer paints directly on the walls, but on posters he then sticks. From the 1980s, he was exhibited at the Loft gallery, rue des Beaux-Art in Paris1 and the gallery & nbsp; "& nbsp; Jean Paul Christophe", avenue Matignon in Paris then at the Sanguine Galerie. Durant the years 1980,1990, 2000, 2010, he continues to intervene on the walls of cities around the world. Between 1993 and 2001, he was no longer exposure in the galleries until 2002 where he exhibited his work in a gallery in Berlin, the "& nbsp; Galerie Jurgen Grosse". Help paintings generally represent anonymous figures or & nbsp; celebrities , of actual size. He often draws his inspiration from everyday characters, from urban reality, whose image he then reproduces in the decor in which he evolves. Today his work influences thousands of urban artists worldwide and he n 'is not surprising to find in London, New York or Tokyo artists who say they are belonging to his school. Among these, the English artist Banksy: "& nbsp; each time I paint something, I discover that Blek the rat has already simply made it 20 years before!" ».