Blek le Rat is one of the most influential names in modern graffiti and urban art scenes. This French contemporary artist is most heavily associated with the city of Paris and counts British artist Banksy as one of his biggest admirers. In the early 1980s he began stencilling images of rats along the walls of Parisian streets and adopted these creatures his trademark. Blek le Rat claimed that rats were the only truly free animal in the whole of Paris, that they are the only creatures who could survive the apocalypse, and just like street art, rats can spread as widely as the plague. He took his moniker from an Italian comic he read as a child, Blek le Roc, adjusting it to suit his signature animal- the rat- which is also an anagram for the word art.

The artist has often courted controversy through the nature of his work, he has been arrested on a number of occasions and has spoken freely of the thrill of evading the authorities while creating a new piece on the streets of the city.

His entanglement with the law has influenced the way he works, following an arrest in 1991 in which he was unmasked, he began to use stencils for application of his paint in order to enable him to complete an artwork with greater speed.  

Modern and Contemporary Art Specialist Abigail Molenaar is looking to consign works by game-changing artists in the art world, building on the success of her 2020 series of timed online art sales.  We already have some exciting single-owner collections and fresh to the market works ready for auction and she is looking build upon our strong results seen for portraiture and 18^th – 19^th century artworks.

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Get in touch with our Modern and Contemporary Art Specialist Abigail Molenaar today if you require a valuation for auction, probate or insurance purposes,
or would like advice on your collection.

Tel: 01743 450 700 / Email abigailm@hallsgb.com or use our online valuation form below

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