Speedy Graphito, (or Olivier Rizzo), is a French painter who is considered a pioneer of the French

Street Art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant graff ...

movement. Speedy Graphito uses

stencil Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface, by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object, to create a pattern or image on a surface, by allowing the pigment to reach ...

s and

brush A brush is a common tool with bristles, wire or other filaments. It generally consists of a handle or block to which filaments are affixed in either a parallel or perpendicular orientation, depending on the way the brush is to be gripped durin ...

to create paintings, prints and street art

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

s. Since 1984, his work has appeared in numerous exhibitions worldwide and he has created many performance events.

Background.

Speedy Graphito was born in Paris in 1961. In 1983, after a brief career as a

graphic designer A graphic designer is a professional within the graphic design and graphic arts industry who assembles together images, typography, or motion graphics to create a piece of design. A graphic designer creates the graphics primarily for published, ...

and art director, he joined the collective X-Moulinex. He left X-Moulinex in 1984.Riout Denys, tc., The Book of Graffiti, Editions Alternatives, Paris, 1990, p. 129. In 1985, Speedy Graphito attended the first meeting of the

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 ...

and urban art movement in

Bondy Bondy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. In 2019, it had a population of 54,587. Name The name Bondy was recorded for the first time around ...

, France. Other attendees included

Jef Aerosol Jef is a Dutch-language masculine given name primarily used in Belgium. It is a short form of Jozef/ Josef, used also in Breton. People with the name include: *Jef Billings (born 1945), American figure skating costume designer * Jef Boeke (born ...

Miss Tic Miss.Tic (born Radhia Novat; 20 February 1956 – 22 May 2022) was a French artist. She was known for her stencils of dark-haired women seen in the streets of Paris and associated with poetry. She was active as a street artist from 1985 onward. ...

, SP 38, Epsylon Point,

Blek le Rat Blek le Rat (; born Xavier Prou, 1952) is a French graffiti artist. He was one of the first graffiti artists in Paris, and has been described as the "Father of stencil graffiti". Early life Xavier Prou was born on 15 November 1951 in Boulogne- ...

Futura 2000 Leonard Hilton McGurr (born November 17, 1955), known as Futura, and formerly known as Futura 2000, is an American graffiti artist. Biography He started to paint illegally on New York City's subway in the early 1970s, working with other artist ...

, Nuklé-Art,

Kim Prisu Kim Prisu, a pseudonym for Joaquim António Gonçalves Borregana (born 15 November 1962), is a Portuguese painter. After 34 years in France, he once again lives in Portugal. His work combines '' Figuration Libre'', French street art of the 1980s, ...

, and Banlieue-Banlieue By 1989 Speedy Graphito had participated in several art exhibitions mainly in Paris. By the late 1990s his works were being exhibited in art galleries across Europe.

Career

Speedy Graphito uses stencils or brushes to execute his graffiti. He incorporates schematic and dynamic characters approaching those of

Javier Mariscal Francisco Javier Errando Mariscal (born 9 February 1950) better known as Javier Mariscal is a Spanish artist and designer whose work has spanned a wide range of mediums, ranging from painting and sculpture to interior design and landscaping. H ...

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

. Speedy's other influences include 1950's United States, cartoons, Manga and images in

Maya culture The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and Glyph, glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the Pre-Columbian era, pre-Columbian Americas. It is also ...

. He is also influenced by the iconography of Disney characters and video games, One of Speedy Graphito works is “Temptation 2011” featuring Disney’s

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...

enamored with the half-eaten logo of

Apple Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...

Speedy Graphito lives and works in Paris.

Exhibitions

2013 *Exhibition, Maison Triolet-Aragon,

Moulin de Villeneuve Moulins or Moulin (French language, French for ''Mill (grinding), mill'') may refer to: Places France * Diocese of Moulins * Moulins, Allier, in the Allier department (the largest Moulins) * Moulins, Aisne, in the Aisne department * Moulins, Ille ...

, Saint Arnoult-en-Yvelines *NewWorlds, Fabien Castanier Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, SOLO 2012 *French Invasion, Fabien Castanier Gallery, Los Angeles, CA 2011 *FreeWay, Fabien Castanier Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, SOLO *Speedy Goes to Miami, Arts for a Better World Art Fair, Miami Art Basel Week,

Miami, FL Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the ...

, SOLO *Solo Show, Opera gallery, London, SOLO *Graffcity, Opera Gallery, Paris *Inaugural Exhibition, Fabien Castanier Gallery, Los Angeles, CA *Urban Activity, Espace culturel Jean Cocteau, Les lilas *Fondation Clément, Mix Art, La

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

*Atrium, Mix Art, La Martinique *News works, Lille Art Fair ( ArtUp), Galerie Brugier Rigail,

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

*Back2Venus, New Square Gallery, Lille, SOLO *News works, Artop, Lille, SOLO *Exit, Galerie australe, La Réunion, SOLO 2010 *What did you expect?, Galerie Brugier Rigail, Paris, SOLO *News works, Lille Art Fair, Galerie Brugier Rigail, Lille *News works, St’art, Galerie Brugier Rigail,

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

*Mondovision, Artop, Lille, SOLO 2009 *Prime time, Art Partner Galerie,

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, SOLO *News works, Lille Art Fair, Galerie Brugier Rigail, Lille *Stepanska Street Art, Institut français de Prague *No Man’s Land, Ambassade de France au Japon, Tokyo *News works, St’art, Galerie Brugier Rigail, Strasbourg 2008 *Sans issues, Art Partner Galerie, Paris, SOLO *Voyage aux Pays des Merveilles, Centre Régional d'Art Contemporain de Fontenoy, SOLO *Group show, Art Partner Galerie, Brussels *Group show, Art Partner Galerie, Paris *St'art, Art Partner Galerie, Strasbourg, SOLO 2007 *Connexions, Art Partner Galerie, Paris, SOLO *Lille aux trésors, Artop, Lille, SOLO *St'art, Art Partner Galerie, Strasbourg, SOLO *Group show, Art Partner Galerie, Paris *Group show, Art Partner Galerie, Paris *Artenime, Art Partner Galerie, Nîmes, SOLO *Urban pop, Ambrogi – Castanier Gallery,

West Hollywood, CA West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...

, SOLO 2006 *Tatouages Urbains, Galerie Anne Vignial, Paris, Retro : Prospective, Galerie Suty, Coye la Forêt, SOLO *St'art, Art Partner Galerie, Strasbourg, SOLO *Sur les Murs, Centre Culturel Francais, Tlemcen (Algérie), Salon de la Lingerie,

Porte de Versailles Porte de Versailles () is a station on Line 12 of the Paris Métro, as well as the southern terminus of Île-de-France tramway Line 2 and a stop on Île-de-France tramway Line 3a in the 15th arrondissement. Nearby are the Paris expo Porte de Ver ...

, Paris Aux arts citoyens, *Espace des Blancs Manteaux, Paris, Artistes Urbains, Galerie Anne Vignial, Paris *Trendmarks, Galerie Suty, Coye la Forêt *Avant travaux, Usines Mauchauffée,

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...

*Artenime, Art Partner Galerie, Nîmes, SOLO 2005 *Parcours de la Bièvre, Lézart de la Bièvre, Paris, SOLO *Deck’on, Exposition itinérante, Montpellier, Paris, Alpe d’huez, Bienne *Salon de la Lingerie, Porte de Versailles, Paris *Section Urbaine, Les Blancs Manteaux, Paris *Rue des Artistes, Galerie Anne Vignial, Paris *Dites 33, La Condition Publique,

Roubaix Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial commune in the Nord department, which grew rapidly in the 19th century ...

2004 *L’Aventure Intérieure, Espace Beaurepaire, Paris, SOLO *Les Mutants, Péniche Antipode, La nuit blanche, Paris *Les Muutants 2, Péniche Antipode, Paris *Les Mots, Foire de Lille, Galerie Kahn *Vœux d’artistes, Galerie Kahn, Espace Beaurepaire, Paris *L’Humanité, Fête de l’huma, Galerie les singuliers, Paris *Paf dans ton Pif, Hommage à Pif Gadget, Paris *Art de Rue, (Mesnager, VLP, Graphito) Espace Tiffaine, Paris *Série Murmures, Mémoires et Dessins Récents, Foire St Germain, Paris *Stencil project, Arslonga, Paris *Stencil project, Glazart, Paris *Portraits incognitos, Galerie Sanguine, Paris *Terminus, La Chapelle du Carmel, Chalon sur Saône, SOLO 2003 *Wake up, Galerie Polaris, Paris, SOLO *Le Musée Idéal, Espace Beaurepaire, Paris *FIAC, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Ma Collection Préfère, Espace Beaurepaire, Paris *Artistes, L’atelier d’artiste Chez Vous, Paris *ART de Rue, Galerie Kahn, Strasbourg *Epoque Epique, L’Atelier d’artiste Chez Vous, Paris, SOLO 2002 *Voyages en Terres Inconnues, L’Atelier d’Artiste Chez Vous, Paris 2001 *General motors, Fondation Colas, Paris 1999 *Artistes de la Galerie, Galerie Polaris, Paris 1998 *Welcome to Vénus, Galerie Polaris, Paris 1997 *Images Cathodiques, SAGA, Paris *Artistes de la Galerie, Galerie Polaris, FIAC, Paris *Exposition de Groupe, Galerie du chal, Saint Brieuc *Lapintures, Galerie Hugues de Payns, Tours 1996 *L’être ou ne palette, Espace Saint Jacques,

Saint Quentin Saint Quentin ( la, Quintinus; died 287 AD) also known as Quentin of Amiens, was an early Christian saint. Hagiography Martyrdom The legend of his life has him as a Roman citizen who was martyred in Gaul. He is said to have been the son of a ...

, SOLO *ARCO, Galerie Punto, Madrid, Spain 1995 *C’est moi qui Lapin, Sétois qui voit, Galerie Beau Lézard,

Sète Sète (; oc, Seta, ), also historically spelt ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises' ...

, SOLO *The new pier show, Arco Galerie Punto,

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, Spain *Artistes de la Galerie, Foire de Chicago, Galerie Punto, USA *Les sirènes, Musée de Dieppe *Artistes de la Galerie, FIAC, Galerie Punto, Paris *Art de Groupe, Espace Cargo,

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

*Artistes de la Galerie, Art Koln, Galerie Punto, Germany *La vie don't je suis le Héros, Galerie Polaris, Paris, SOLO 1994 *Que Passa, Galerie Punto,

Valencia, Spain Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area also ...

, SOLO *Viva Lapinture, Galerie Italia,

Alicante, Spain Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in the ...

, SOLO *Artistes de la Galerie, FIAC, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Artistes de la Galerie, SAGA, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Un artiste invite un artiste, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Les déjeunées sur l’herbe, Galerie Beau Lézard –Sête, Paris/Seoul/ Tokyo 1993 *Le monde Alaloupe, Galerie Polaris, Paris, SOLO *One man show, Galerie Polaris, FIAC, Paris, SOLO *Artistes de la galerie, SAGA, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Œuvres Monumentales, Galerie Polaris, Paris 1992 *One man show, Galerie Polaris, FIAC, Paris, SOLO *Artistes de la Galerie, SAGA, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Comme convenue lors de …, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Figurations, fin de millenaire, Exposition itinérante *5 Ans d’édition 1987-1992, Galerie Polaris, Paris 1991 *Paris, Tours, Rennes, Galerie Polaris, Galerie Michel Pommier, Galerie Collin, SOLO *Artistes de la galerie, FIAC, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Exposition de Groupe, Galerie Metropolis,

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...

*Exposition de Groupe, Galerie Michel Pommier,

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...

*Pour Saluer le Destin, Musée d’Ingres,

Montauban Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, an ...

1990 *Speedy Graphito, Produit de l’art, Espace Action, Paris, SOLO *Retour d’Afrique, Galerie Michel Pommier, Tours, SOLO *Speedy Graphito Peint l’Art moderne de 1990 à nos jours, Galerie Polaris, Paris, SOLO *Artistes de la Galerie, SAGA, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Artistes de la Galerie, FIAC, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Exposition de Groupe, Galerie Patrick Riquelme,

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who lived ...

1989 *King of the City, Galerie Polaris, Paris, SOLO *Artistes de la Galerie, SAGA, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Artistes de la Galerie, FIAC, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Le Témoignage de la Peinture 1789-1989, Centre d’Art Contemporain, Avranches 1988 *Etude des Saints, Galerie Polaris, Paris, SOLO *One man show, Galerie Polaris, FIAC, Paris, SOLO *Artistes de la Galerie, Interarte, Galerie Polaris, Valencia, Spain *Artistes de la Galerie, FIAC, Galerie Polaris, Paris 1987 *Le Radeau des médusés, Espace action, Paris, SOLO *Lapinture au génie, Galerie Wanet,

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

, SOLO *Les allumées de la télé, Grande Halle de la Vilette, Paris *Exposition de Groupe, Art Jonction International, Nice *Artistes de la Galerie, FIAC, Galerie Polaris, Paris 1986 *L’atelier de l’artiste, Galerie Polaris, Paris, SOLO *Génie Artistique, Institut Français de Naples, Italie, SOLO *Les Médias Peintres, Maison de la culture de Rennes *Le Speedy Maton, Galerie d’Art contemporain de

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

*Peintures Sauvages, Frasso Télésino, Italie *Vers de Nouvelles z’Aventures, Centre Culturel, Évry, SOLO 1985 *A la recherche de Zarzan, Galerie Paradis, Paris, SOLO *Meurtre dans un Château Anglais, Galerie Polaris, Paris, SOLO *La boutique à Speedy, Galerie Polaris, Paris *Emotions, Espace Saint Jacques, Saint Quentin *Mouchoirs d’Artistes, Galerie Lara Vinci, Paris *Détournement d’Affiches,

Centre national des arts plastiques The Centre national des arts plastiques (National Centre for Visual Arts, Cnap) is a French institution established in 1982 under the Ministry of Culture and Communication that promotes creation of visual arts. It provides assistance to artists and ...

(CNAP), Paris 1984 *Et Dans Dix Ans, Espace Cardin, Paris

Performances

2011 *Murs Peints, Rio-Brésil *Performances, Mix Art Madinina,

2010 *Lézarts de la Bièvre, Paris *Collage »Association le MUR– Paris 2009 *FIART, Performance pizza Beaubourg, Paris *Réalisation d' un court métrage « Faites de beaux rêves » 2006 *Réalisation d' un court métrage pour « Faites de beaux rêves » *Réalisation d’un film vidéo pour le DVD du groupe "Lukrate milk ". *Performance pour le mondial de l'automobile. 2005 *Parcours de la Bièvre – Lézart de la Bièvre – Paris *Festival international du graffiti Kosmopolite –

Bagnolet Bagnolet () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occasion, a small part of the commune o ...

*Peinture de l’autobus du Batofar. 2004 *Stencil project » – Paris *Réalisation du film "terminus "installation performance filmée. 2003 *Réalisation d' une série en images de synthèse " WELCOME TO VENUS " pour CANAL+. *Création du groupe musical et vidéographique " French Legumes ". 2002 *Réalisation de vidéos pour "Le Festival du Chien à plumes ". 2001 *Réalisation de vidéos pour "Le Festival du Chien à plumes ". *Réalisation de vidéos de scène pour le groupe musical " PLUTO ". 1993 *Création de l' identité visuelle de " La Halle Saint-Pierre ". *Commande publique de la Direction des Affaires Culturelles de la ville de Paris. *Création de l' emblème de la mission spaciale " ALTAîR " vol habité Franco-russe (C.N.E.S.). 1992 *Décoration de la péniche " EUROPE ODYSSEE " qui a rejoint Paris-Moscou par les canaux (FR3). 1991 *Décoration d' un hobbit-cat pour la traversée du Détroit de Formose par Olivier Chiabodo. *Décoration de l' école polyvalente rue de la vilette (Paris) dans le cadre du 1%. *Projections pour le concert de J.M. Jarre (La Défense - Paris). 1987 *Création de " SPEEDO " Le journal des fans de Speedy. *Création d' une ligne de Tee-shirts " YOU ARE THE WORLD ". *Décor de théatre pour " La nuit s' est habillée ce soir en scaramouche " de Saskia Cohen-Tanugi (Festival Molière de Montpellier) 1986 *Création de l' affiche " LA RUEE VERS L' ART " pour le Ministère de la culture.

References

External links

Official Website

Fabien Castanier Gallery

Galerie Berthéas Les Tournesols
{{Authority control (arts) French graffiti artists Living people Year of birth missing (living people)