His pal Shepard Fairey, who designed President Obama's 'Hope' poster, has said of Prou: "Blek le Rat's stencils distill the essence of the human struggle into poetically concise images. Frequently called the godfather of modern street art, Blek le Rat inspired hundreds of artists around the world with his stenciled style. Several lithographs present violinists and ballet dancers, while he has also made a limited number of lithographs depicting President Obama. Blek Le Rat (Xavier Prou) was born in Paris, France in 1951. His latest exhibit riffs on a recurring theme of tango dancers, which he first painted in 1986. Blek Le Rat Exhibition, Black Rat Gallery, London, UK.
"It’s very important to be in the street, but also very important for artists to show different work in the gallery." Blek Le Rat Paris-New York, New York-Paris, Jonathan LeVine Gallery, Gallery II, New York City, NY, USA. "Its absolutely incredible having a really good piece in the street - the day after it is complete thousands and thousands of people have seen it," Prou explained. The illegal nature of Prou's work and the growing legitimization of street art has led him to exhibit in galleries with greater frequency. (Prou started stenciling rats around Paris in 1981, when Banksy, whose identity is rumored but not confirmed, was reportedly just in grade school.) "Every time I think I've painted something slightly original, I find out that Blek le Rat has done it as well, only 20 years earlier," Banksy is widely quoted as saying.
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