Profiling French graffiti artist Blek le Rat (Xavier Prou) |

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Blek le Rat

Before Banksy, a French graffiti artist daubed the world's walls

With Bristolian graffiti artist Banksy fetching a whopping £322,900 at Sotheby's in 2007 for his work The Rude Lord, it's worth noting that before Banksy, there was Xavier Prou (aka Blek le Rat), dubbed the "the godfather… of politically conscious graffiti" by The Independent. He's been stencilling for a damn sight longer than the elusive Banksy, starting his career in 1981.

Blek le Rat, whose name is derived from a childhood cartoon-strip character Blek le Roc, was born in Paris in 1952 to well-heeled parents. He first began daubing the walls of France with large images of rats — an apparent symbol of freedom — before exposing Germany, Spain, Italy, England and the USA to his unique brand of urban art.

He's been so successful at disseminating his work that Banksy reportedly said, "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…" His art, like Banksy's, is playful, political and often provocative. In fact, Blek le Rat is the archetypal enfant terrible, undermining the establishment with his risqué imagery.

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