Blek le Rat
Blek le Rat was born Xavier Prou in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris in 1952. He is considered the godfather of stencil graffiti art. He studied painting and architecture. He began his artwork in Paris in 1981. Since then he has had a great influence on today's graffiti and "guerilla art" movements, his main motivation being social consciousness and the desire to bring art to the people. British graffiti artist Banksy has acknowledged Blek's influence saying "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." This quote was taken from the cover of the DVD Original Stencil Pioneer by King Adz, which in turn led to Thames & Hudson approaching King Adz to write the book - Getting Through the Walls. It has been said that before King Adz' involvement, Blek was unheard of and could not give his art away.