Ben Eine U. K., 1970

Born in London, Ben Eine is a British street artist known for his distinctive use of blocked letter forms. “Street artists want to add something to the environment,” he has stated. “They consider the audience, whereas graffiti writers don’t care about anyone except themselves, they do it purely for the kick.” He started his  practice a graffiti artist tagging the streets of London as a youth. After decades as a street artist he turned his hand to printmaking, producing unique prints for Banksy and David Shrigley among others. With the support of  Banksy, Eine entered the fine art scene in 2008. Only two years later, in 2010, the U.S. President Barack Obama was gifted Eine’s painting Twenty First Century City by the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Tony Blair. The artist continues to live and work in London, United Kingdom. Today, his works are held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.