BEN EINE (London, 1970).
"All is Fair in Art and War", 2016.
Mixed media on canvas (acrylic and aerosol).
Unique piece.
Signed, dated and titled on the back.
Measurements: 79,5 x 79 ,5 cm; 85 x 85 cm (frame) .
London-born Ben Eine is one of the world's most successful lettering artists and is considered a pioneer in the exploration of contemporary typography art. Originally a graffiti writer, Eine began his career over 30 years ago, leaving his first tag all over London before developing his distinctive typographic style. Eine began painting huge, bright, colorful letters on shutters all over East London, creating beautifully executed forms with a relentless "graffiti mentality," painting over sixty shutters in a couple of months. These imposing and attractive, yet unattributed, anonymously painted letters stood out from the usual tags and dubbings seen on the streets. They caught the public's attention and were instrumental in the rise of street art's popularity. Eine's association with then-emerging London graffiti artist Banksy was hugely influential to the commercial success of both artists. In 2003, the pair created the famous Pictures on Walls gallery, with a loose collective of other artists, to print and sell street art. POW was established in the spirit of the DIY Punk movement because, as Eine recalls; "There wasn't a single gallery in London or the world that could touch what we were doing." Eine's international acclaim increased further when UK Prime Minister David Cameron gifted his artwork "Twenty First Century City" to President Obama in 2010. His work is now in the permanent collections of the V&A Museum in London, the Museum of Modern Art in Los Angeles. The Museum of Contemporary Art in San Francisco, the Urban Museum of Street Art in Berlin, Beyond The Streets and The Dean Collection in Los Angeles, as well as the private collection of Louis Vuitton and many other commercial institutions. Fashion has always been a love of Eine's. She enjoys an ongoing collaboration with Louis Vuitton, as well as her own clothing label, Eine London, which launched to great acclaim at London Fashion Week 2018. Eine's painted shutters and murals can still be found around the world. Her distinctive lettering continues to spell out words and phrases across walls from London to Los Angeles, Florence to Tokyo. He continues to use street art to engage and surprise the public. In 2018, Eine unveiled the world's largest street artwork; the 'CREATE' mural: a 17500 square foot artwork painted on an industrial site in East London that is visible from space.