Art Melbourne 2012 - Melbourne's Affordable Art Fair

Added 4 months ago

The Godfather of Stencil Graffiti

 

 

Blek le Rat

Guest Blogger: Raj Nanda, CEO, Art Equity

Blek Le Rat is amongst the most celebrated and influential figures in the world of street art, indeed he is regarded as the "Godfather" of stencil graffiti.  He has profoundly influenced the careers of many of the most applauded contemporary street artists. Banksy was famously quoted in his unofficial biography "Every time I think I've painted something original I find out that Blek le Rat has done it as well, only 20 years earlier".

IMAGE (above): Blek le Rat, The Man Who Walks Through Walls, 2012, Screenprint, 100 x 74cm, Edition of 50, $2,250
Printed by Master Printer, Ian Wilkinson (UK), Published by Barbarian Press, Exclusive to Art Equity

 

Blek Le Rat has also impacted disciplines outside the art world. The broader advertising, graphics and design world owes much to the artists' aesthetic.  He was the first street artist to use life sized stencils. For over thirty years Blek's urban images permeate the social consciousness, bringing art to the people around the world.  At times playful, at times political and often provocative, he is an artist of our time on the world stage.

The man who walks through walls is a self-portrait incorporating the body of one of Blek's  favourite actors. It portrays a traveller who appears to walk through walls all over the world and thus engages with the broadest possible audience. The original stencil was created in 2004 and has been stencilled on walls in London, Buenos Aires, Leipzig, Prague and New York, making it Blek's most travelled character.

 

Blek le Rat INTERVIEW

 

In 2010, Raj Nanda, CEO of Art Equity met Blek Le Rat at his house and studio in France. This meeting was the beginning of a relationship to create, print and co-publish landmark imagery. This edition is the first time the Australian flag has been used in print-form in the The man who walks through walls imagery, and the only flag other than Blek's national French flag used by the artist.

 

IMAGE (above): Raj Nanda with Blek le Rat at Blek's studio in Paris

 

This screenprint was printed in the UK by renowned Master Printmaker Ian Wilkinson, the printer responsible for printing all Blek Le Rat's print editions. The three colour screenprint has a global edition of 50, and measures an impressive 100 x 74cm.

This is a unique opportunity for Art Equity clients to gain exclusive access to this world-renowned and highly collectable artist, whose editions typically sell out swiftly in Europe and the USA. This exclusive opportunity with an antipodean flavour, points to a growing engagement with world art within Australia.

Guest Blogger: Raj Nanda, CEO, Art Equity

 

 

Posted by Art Melbourne at 12:01 pm