Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
French, b. 1951
Born in 1951, Xavier Prou (better known as Blek Le Rat), was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and is the founder of the international stencil art movement.
During a trip to the United States in 1971, Blek was introduced to the ‘wild style’ graffiti prevalent in New York City, which left a lasting impression on him. Inspired by what he saw in New York, Blek began painting the streets of Paris in 1981, choosing a different technique – the stencil – as more appropriate for the French architecture.
Blek’s first stencils were black rats, seen to be running along the walls throughout the centre of Paris. The rat, also an anagram for ‘art’, is in Blek’s mind “the only animal to survive the apocalypse“. In 1983 Blek began to paint life-size stencils, which alongside his rats, have become his trademark and have influenced generations of street artists around the world.
Blek considers his images as gifts to the cities of the world, raising awareness of social issues. His heroes are solitary individuals crossing through the urban space – women, children, the elderly and other contemporary figures in an urban city.
Dedicated to the idea of bringing art to the people, Blek often quotes the old masters like Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Guido Reni and Leonardo da Vinci. “I want the characters of the paintings to walk out of the museums to give them back to the people of the city” he says.
In the mid 2000s, Blek’s work evolved to become more overtly political. Following the kidnapping of French journalist Florence Aubenas in Iraq, Blek pasted hundreds of prints of her image around Paris. Her portrait appeared everywhere, from her work place at Libération, next to cafés and offices of major newspapers. This activation aimed to attract the attention of the media and politicians to raise awareness of her situation.
This body of work was a defining moment for Blek, who says, “I became aware of my power and responsibilty as an artist working in the public space“. That same year, Blek began a series portraying beggars on the street, aiming to shed light on the issue of homelessness. Blek paints the same portrait of a young beggar around the world, from Europe, to the United States to Australia, to challenge authorities, because “sometimes images have a bigger impact than reality“.to
1
1
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
1
2
268
172
109
92
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Artist: Blek Le Rat
Classik Box
By Blek Le Rat
Located in Dallas, TX
Classikbox – 2016
by Blek the rat
Art casing – Ed.100
Containing 3 serigraphs Ed.100
The man who walks through walls / Madonna and Child / Beggar
Screen-p...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Plexiglass, Screen
Related Items
Die Enormous - Jay-Z (framed hand signed screen print)
By Mark Drew
Located in Aventura, FL
Screen print in colors on 300gsm paper. Hand signed lower right by Mark Drew. Hand numbered 134/200 lower left. Sheet size 16.5 x 11.6 inches. Frame size 18 x 13 inches.
Artwork...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Screen, Paper
Burn Baby Burn Shepard Fairey Letter Press Print Obey Publishing Chop Urban Art
By Shepard Fairey
Located in Draper, UT
Burn Baby Burn, inspired by the aesthetics of “live fast – die young” rock ’n’ roll, is a critique of some harmful habits we are addicted to. Not just the harmful effects of burning ...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Screen
After the Rain (framed hand signed screen print)
Located in Aventura, FL
27 color screen print on somerset tub sized satin 410gsm paper. Hand signed lower right by Eelus. Hand numbered 103/175 lower right. Artwork size 27.5 x 19.6 inches. Frame size 33.5 x 25.5 inches.
Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable offers will be considered.
About the Artist: It was the late 1980s when Lee Pennington's art career started in a primary school playground in northern England. When he was around 10 years old, he sold a small edition of hand-drawn posters of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Paper, Screen
UNTITLED (SNOOPY)
By KAWS
Located in Aventura, FL
Screen print cutout on Saunders Waterford 425gm HP Hi-White paper. Hand signed, dated and numbered by the artist. Artwork size 10.5 x 8 inches. Custom framed as pictured. Frame si...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Paper, Screen
Amsterdame (Unique hand finished)
By Prefab77
Located in Aventura, FL
Amsterdame (black/gold). Unique hand finished color screen print on black plike paper. Hand signed lower right corner by Prefab77. Hand numbered 1/1 lower left corner. Artwork...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Paper, Screen
UNTITLED (RUNNING SNOOPY)
By KAWS
Located in Aventura, FL
Screen print cutout on Saunders Waterford 425gm HP Hi-White paper. Hand signed, dated and numbered by the artist. Artwork size 9 x 10 inches. Custom framed as pictured. Frame size...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Paper, Screen
Keith Haring (framed hand signed screen print)
By Shepard Fairey
Located in Aventura, FL
Keith Haring (Red). Screen print on paper. Hand signed lower right by Shepard Fairey. AP, apart from the edition of 450. Artwork size 24 x 18 inches. Frame size 29 x 23 inches. ...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Screen
Back to the Block - Snoop Dogg (framed hand signed screen print)
By Mark Drew
Located in Aventura, FL
Screen print in colors on somerset paper. Hand signed lower right by Mark Drew. Hand numbered 193/200 lower left. Sheet size 11.75 x 16.5 inches. Frame size 13 x 17.75 inches (b...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Paper, Screen
H 13 in W 17.75 in D 1 in
Shepard Fairey & Francisco Reyes Sadistic Dog Waker Diptych Street Art
By Shepard Fairey
Located in Draper, UT
Edition Details:
Year: 2021
Class: Diptych
Run: 171/450
Technique: Screen Print
Paper: Speckletone
Size: 24 X 33
Markings: Signed & Numbered in pencil by both Artists. Shepard Fair...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Screen
Betty (A), large hand signed screen print
By POSE
Located in Aventura, FL
Screen print in colors on had torn Coventry Rag 335 gsm paper. Hand signed lower right corner by Pose. Hand numbered 10/25 lower left. Artwork size 40 x 30 inches.
Artwork is in ...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Screen, Paper
Burn (hand painted on wood)
By POSE
Located in Aventura, FL
Hand pulled screen print, hand paint and torn painted paper on 2 inch cradled gesso board. Hand signed on verso by POSE. Edition of 9. Each is unique.
Artwork is in excellent condition. Certificate of authenticity included. All reasonable offers will be considered.
About the artist: Pose (Jordan Nickel...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Screen, Board, Acrylic, Mixed Media, Gesso
Paint Love (Unique Hand Finished Screen Print)
By Martin Whatson
Located in Aventura, FL
Unique hand finished in spray paint and pens, 25 color screen print on 300gsm somerset paper. Hand signed and dated lower right by Martin Whatson. Hand numbered lower left. From t...
Category
2010s Street Art Blek Le Rat Portrait Prints
Materials
Paper, Screen, Spray Paint, Pen
Blek Le Rat portrait prints for sale on 1stDibs.
Find a wide variety of authentic Blek Le Rat portrait prints available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Blek Le Rat in plastic, plexiglass, screen print and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the street art style. Not every interior allows for large Blek Le Rat portrait prints, so small editions measuring 14 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Mr. Brainwash, Sandra Chevrier, and Tristan Eaton. Blek Le Rat portrait prints prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $2,880 and tops out at $2,880, while the average work can sell for $2,880.