Blek le Rat  

A pioneer of graffiti writers in Europe, Blek le Rat was one of the first people to use stencils for creating art on the street, using icons instead of writing his name. He was first exposed to graffiti in 1971, in New York, but didn't start making his own until ten years later, in Paris. Inspired by a stenciled portrait of Mussolini, which he saw during a trip to Italy among WWII ruins, he created a silhouette of a rat running along the streets. He stenciled the rat for two years and quickly became recognized around Paris. This marked a monumental break from the dominance of New York's graffiti style. His method of creating image based art to complement the classical architecture within the context of European cityscapes changed the face of urban art and still continues to greatly influence younger generations of artists around the world. The artist’s new monograph, entitled Blek le Rat—Getting Through the Walls, published by Thames + Hudson, beautifully documents his entire artistic career, over the past twenty-five years.



Jonathan LeVine Gallery
Five Year Anniversary

Group exhibition
Feb 27 thru Mar 27, 2010
Blek Le Rat
Paris-New York, New York-Paris

Gallery II
Solo Exhibition

Oct 18 thru Nov 15, 2008
THE STREETS OF EUROPE
New Works and Installations by:
Blek Le Rat, Blu, Bo130, D*Face
Microbo, and Space Invader

Dec 1 thru Dec 29, 2007
 
Jonathan LeVine Gallery | 529 West 20th Street, 9th Floor | New York, NY 10011 | Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11am to 6pm | 212-243-3822