Juris Tjerk Emiles Ivars Vičs, "DR. RAT" (21 May 1960 — 29 June 1981) was a

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

artist from

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Since his early years as a graffiti writer in the 1970s Ivar was tagging the name "DR. RAT" pioneering the movement in the Netherlands. He was a well known supporter of the

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club

AFC Ajax Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax (), also known as AFC Ajax, Ajax Amsterdam, or simply Ajax, is a Dutch professional football club based in Amsterdam, that plays in the , the top tier in Dutch football. Historically, Ajax (named after the l ...

, and would commonly tag "AJAKS" next to his name, misspelling it on purpose. He is largely considered the pioneer of the graffiti movement in the country, emerging out of the punk rock scene of the late 1970s.

Biography

Born in Amsterdam 21 May 1960 to a

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

n father and a

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

mother who were both studying at the

Gerrit Rietveld Academie The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, also known as Rietveld School of Art & Design and Rietveld Academy, is an art academy in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The academy was founded in 1924 and offers programs in fine arts and design. History In 1924, the I ...

, he was the first known graffiti artist in the Netherlands, and played a major role in the punk rock scene in Amsterdam in the late 1970s. He made his first graffiti in Hondecoeterstraat as a child. It was near Nicolaas Maesstraat, where he then lived with his parents. Together with Diana Ozon he founded the famed punk club DDT666 (''Dirty Dutch Trix 666''), and was also a contributor the fanzine ''de Koekrant'' dedicated to punk rock and street culture, while working on other art related projects as well. The graffiti culture was born in the Netherlands at the same time it was born in the US, but is connected with the punk subculture rather than with hip-hop as it is in New York. He had a short lasting relationship with

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

singer and actress

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the Punk subculture, punk and New wave music, new wave movements in the late 1970s a ...

, who had advised him to change his name to "DR. ART". Aside from the pseudonyms ''Dr. Rat'' and ''Dr. Art'', Vičs other known aliases include ''Fritz Zanzibar'', ''Stanley Sneeuwschoen de Verschrikkelijke,'' and ''Dr. Death'', with which he would commonly sign his paintings. A majority of DR. RAT's work in Amsterdam is no longer visible. His contemporaries largely consider him as a cult figure and an ''enfant terrible''. Ivar Vičs was always seeking out the extremities in life, frequently abusing drugs and alcohol which eventually led to his untimely death. After his passing Diana Ozon dedicated a poem to him, punk rock band "The Helmettes" wrote a song dedicated to Dr. Rat, and Nina Hagen released the song "Dr. Art" dedicated to Ivar as well. Rare footage of Dr. Rat was featured in the 2006

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

'' Kroonjuwelen'', and in 2011, journalist Martijn Haas published a biography of Ivar Vičs under the title ''Dr. Rat, godfather of Dutch graffiti''.

Biopic

Independent film director Fedor Sendak, was reportedly working on a

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

about Dr. Rat. The film was scheduled to be released in 2013.Leven punkfenomeen Dr. Rat wordt verfilmd
NU.nl

Bibliography

* :nl: Martijn Haas, ''Dr. Rat, Godfather van de Nederlandse graffiti'', Lebowski, Amsterdam, 2011,

References

1960 births 1981 deaths Artists from Amsterdam Dutch graffiti artists Dutch people of Latvian descent {{Netherlands-artist-stub