Blek Le Rat is one of the most loved, applauded and influential figures in street art.

Having adorned Paris with his distinctive stencil work since the early eighties Blek Le Rat is widely recognised as the originator of stencil graffiti.

Inspired by what he'd seen on the streets of New York in the seventies, Blek wanted to make his own mark on his native city. Wanting to do something more fitting with Paris than the American pieces he had seen in New York, Blek Le Rat began stenciling in 1981 and never looked back.

Banksy once said that �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."