Between November 19, 2011 – January 7, 2012 Blek le Rat, the Godfather of stencil art marked the 30th anniversary since the birth of his truly inspiring art with the 60/30 Exhibition. At the ripe age of 60, Blek le Rat has never stopped creating amazing street art and is a true pioneer of the scene. His innovative spirit paved the way for all subsequent street artists who have, and continue to, follow in his path.

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Even though the two have been said to have collaborated, with Banksy starting a mural in the Mission District, San Francisco and Blek seen in 2011 adding to it. Today Banksy acknowledges 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.”

Blek had his first solo U.K. exhibition in London at the Leonard Street Gallery in October 2006. He has since been placed back on the street art scene and finally getting the recognition he truly deserves. Cool fact: his name originates from a childhood cartoon “Blek le Roc”, using “rat” as an anagram for “art”.

“1981 to 1983 the beginning of the stencil graffiti art .I had the idea to use stencils to make graffiti for one reason. I did not want to imitate the American graffiti that I had seen in NYC in 1971 during a journey I had done over there.I wanted to have my own style in the street… I began to spray some small rats in the streets of Paris because rats are the only wild living animals in cities and only rats will survive when the human race will have disappeared and died out”

Check out his work HERE.

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