STREET LIFE

Born in Paris in 1951, Blek le Rat first discovered graffiti in New York in the early ’70s and, a decade later, became one of the first graffiti artists in Paris. He is also credited as the first to use life-size stencils—his signature stencil being a rat silhouette. As critic Carlo McCormick wrote, “Blek le Rat is central to the greater story of how urban visual vernacular evolved from a primal scrawl to fine art.” Today is your last chance to see le Rat’s solo show, Ignorance Is Bliss, at Jonathan Levine, which features works on canvas (including a swami who sees a rat inside his crystal ball) as well as the artist’s first sculpture, a bronze of Michelangelo’s David holding a rifle—with a rat at his feet, of course.

Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 a.m. Starts: Sept. 7. Continues through Oct. 5, 2013