Blek Le Rat

Blek le Rat, born Xavier Prou in 1952, is a renowned French graffiti artist credited as one of the pioneers of stencil graffiti in Paris. He began his artistic journey in 1981, creating stencils of rats on the streets of Paris, symbolizing what he referred to as “the only free animal in the city.” He drew parallels between rats, which “spread the plague everywhere,” and the pervasive nature of street art itself.

Blek’s artistic style was initially influenced by the early graffiti movement in New York City, following a visit in 1971. However, he adapted his approach to better align with the unique architecture of Paris. He also acknowledged the impact of Canadian artist Richard Hambleton, known for his large-scale human figures in the 1980s. In 1985, Blek participated in the inaugural meeting of the graffiti and urban art movement in Bondy, France.

One of his oldest preserved works, a 1991 replication of Caravaggio’s Madonna di Loreto, was rediscovered in 2012 behind posters on a house wall in Leipzig, Germany. Blek le Rat’s influence on contemporary street artists is significant; Banksy has noted that any time he believes he has created something original, he discovers that Blek had previously executed a similar idea, often years earlier. Their mutual respect has led to collaborative efforts, including Blek’s addition to a mural initiated by Banksy in San Francisco’s Mission District in 2011.