Mixed Media Stencil street artist.

Blek le Rat began his painting career with stencils of rats on the walls of Paris streets. Born Xavier Prou, his pseudonym name originates from the comic book Blek le Roc using ‘rat’ as an anagram for ‘art’. Blek le Rat has been described as the “Father of stencil graffiti”, influencing many of today’s graffiti-art and “guerrilla-art” movements.

British graffiti artist, Banksy, has acknowledge Blek’s influence stating "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." The respect works both ways, as Blek was seen in 2011 adding to a mural begun by Banksy the previous year in the Mission District, San Francisco.

Many of Blek’s pieces are pictorials of solitary individuals in opposition to larger, oppressive groups. In 2006 Blek began a series of images representing the holes, depicting them standing or lying on sidewalks, in attempts to bring attention to what he views as a global problem.

Blek has been exhibited in UK, Australia and America with his stencil art work. Although Blek le Rat believes the integrity of an artist is to be seen by as many people as possible, not to be sold or recognised in a museum, therefore prefers streets over galleries. Art Lounge International love his work and are proud to share it with you.