Speedy Graphito French, b. 1961

Speedy Graphito is now a "historical" artist, a monument of his generation. Emerging from the narrative figuration movement of the 1980s, he has long been recognized as one of the pioneers of contemporary urban art and contemporary art in general. His career, numerous museum exhibitions, and public commissions have established him as "a great," an essential artist. Despite this status as a major artist, despite numerous record prices at auction, and despite his ubiquitous presence in museums, he has retained the instincts and habits of a pioneering artist: his creativity is intact and still incredible and surprising. Speedy continues to imagine, dare, and innovate. It is in his DNA.

He recently completed a year-long exhibition that was an incredible success at the Musée en Herbe in Paris. For 2024, after a solo show at Polaris, he will exhibit from September to the end of December at the world's first floating urban art center, Fluctuart, under the curation of the ART FIVE Gallery.

Let’s go back to the origins of his career: when he graduated from the Estienne School of Art in Paris in 1983, he was twenty-two years old. It was during this time that he created his first stencils on the street with the X Moulinex group and began painting under the pseudonym Speedy Graphito. Since the early 1980s, Speedy Graphito has permeated the collective memory and the walls of Paris, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, and Tokyo, enhancing them with his striking graphics and murals. He uses all forms of expression—painting, sculpture, installation, photography, or video—to create a universal language through his work over the years.

His trademark is that of intelligent, joyful, and profound art, nourished by vibrant colors. Speedy playfully and ironically shakes up our systems of perception. In his approach, he does not hesitate to appropriate and subvert all imagery from popular culture, as he did in the early 2000s with superheroes and brands. In doing so, he performs an almost systematic decoding of our collective unconscious, questioning the norms and dictates of our Western cultural identity, layering a more poetic dimension onto the reality of our society.

When Speedy Graphito uses a personal imaginary dictionary, it is always, and in a tangible way, connected to the history of Art. Themes of childhood and death, long present, give his works a character that is often autobiographical, inspired by his wanderings and inner journeys. All of them are an invitation to travel and awakening. The body of work, as a whole, is that of a mediator, marked by the dreamlike imprint of a true iconoclast.

Equally comfortable in public painting performances as in the intimacy of his studio, Speedy Graphito dedicates himself body and soul to his passion, in the urgency of time passing. He is one of those artists who has marked and will continue to mark the history of art

MAJOR EXHIBITIONS :

2024 à venir septembre 2024 « La grande illusion » Fluctuart Paris x ART FIVE Gallery « Totem » Galerie Polaris Paris (FR)
2023 Fantômes " Musée Ingres Bourdelle - Montauban (FR)

« Neo History » ART FIVE Gallery Marseille 2022 " Femmes " Galerie Barthelemy Bouscayrol - Biarritz (FR)
" I have a computer head " Galerie Barthelemy Bouscayrol - Biarritz (FR)

" Une histoire de famille " Espace culturel - Cuiseaux (FR)
2021 " Visite au musée " Galerie Provost Hacker - Lille (FR)

“ La comédie de la vie “ Kolly Gallery - Zurich (CH)
" Tout un monde en soi " Galerie Martine Ehmer - Bruxelles (B)

" The urban shop at street corner " Kolly Gallery - Zurich (CH)
" Mondes imaginaires " Musée en herbe Paris (FR)
2020 " Tout un monde en soi " Galerie Huberty et Breyne - Bruxelles (B)
" The urban shop at street corner " Kolly Gallery - Zurich (CH)
"Speedy Graphito par Speedy Graphito " Galerie polaris - Paris (FR)
2019 " Connivences " Galerie Barthelemy Bouscayrol - Biarritz (FR)
"Urban Republik" Art Five Gallery - Marseille (FR)
"Beyond the future " Fabien Castanier Galllery - Miami (US)
"Le musée imaginaire " Hotel départemental des arts - Toulon (FR)
2018 " Speedy Graphito au Palais du Tau " Palais du Tau - Reims (FR)
" Out of Ages " Galerie Provost Hacker – Lille (FR)
" Urban Fever " Institut Culturel Bernard Magrez – Bordeaux (FR)
" L’art dans la peau" Kolly Gallery - Zurich (CH) 2017 “ Un Monde de Rêves“ Galerie Polaris– Paris (FR)

" Big Buzz Show " Espace d'art Contemporain André Malraux - Colmar (FR)
“ Retrospective d'édition d'art " Centre d'art graphique - La Métairie Bruyère (FR)

" Speedy Graphito à l'État Sauvage " Médiathèque Xaintrie Val'Drodogne - Argentat (FR)
“ Fusion “ Kolly Gallery – Zurich – (CH)
“ An American Story “ Fabien Castanier Gallery – Miami – (US)

2016 " Un Art de Vivre " Musée du Touquet Paris Plage (FR)
“ Face à Face“ New Square Gallery – Lille (FR) “ Home Street Home“ Galerie Huberty Breyne – Bruxelles (B)
“ Sans motif apparent “ Espace ECART – Paris – (FR)
“ Comme un vent de Liberté “ Galerie Barthelemy Bouscayrol– Biarritz – (FR)
2015 “ Artificial Paradise“ Castanier Gallery – LA (US)
“ Resolution “ Galerie Polaris – Paris(FR)
“ Solo Show “ New Square Gallery – Lille (FR) 2014 « Neverland “ Arsenal de Soissons - Soissons (FR)
“ Libre comme l’art “ Hotel Jules et Jim – Paris (FR)
“ Drawing now “ Galerie Polaris – Paris (FR)
“ Hypnotic “ Castanier Gallery – Miami (US)
“ Langages “ Artothèque de Pessac (FR)
“ Parade “ Galerie Bertheas - Saint-Etienne (FR)
2013 “ Start Over “ - Galerie Polaris - Paris (FR) “ NEWWORLDS “ Fabien Castanier Gallery - L.A ( US )
“ The Essential of Painting 1987 - 2013 “ à Saint-Emilion - Galerie Polaris hors les murs
( FR )
“ Lost “ Maison Triolet - Aragon - Saint Arnoult en Yvelines ( FR )
2012 “ LIKE “ New Square Gallery - Lille ( FR ) “ The Essential of Painting 1987 - 2012
“ Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )

2011 “ Solo Show “ Opera Gallery Londres
( UK )
“ Back2Venus “ New Square Gallery Lille ( FR ) “ Freeway “ Fab. Castanier Gallery - L.A (US)

“ Exit “ Galerie australe - La Réunion (FR) “ Exit 2 ” Galerie 8 - Vichy ( FR )
2010 “ What Did You Expect ? “ Galerie Brugier Rigail - Paris ( FR )

“ Mondovision “ Artop - Lille ( FR )
2009 “ Prime Time “ Art Partner Galerie - Bruxelles ( BE )
2008 “ Sans Issues “ Art Partner Galerie - Paris ( FR )
“ Voyage aux pays des merveilles “ CAC - Fontenoy ( FR )
2007 “ Connexions “ Art Partner Galerie - Paris ( FR )
“ Lille aux Trésors “ Artop - Lille ( FR )
“ Urban Pop “ Ambrogi & Castanier Gallery - W- Hollywood ( US )
2006 “ Tatouages Urbains “ Galerie Anne Vignial - Paris ( FR )
“ Retro Prospective “ Galerie Suty - Coye la Forêt ( FR )
2005 “ Parcours de La Bièvre “ Lézart de la Bièvre - Paris ( FR )
2004 “ L’aventure Intérieure ” Espace Beaurepaire - Paris ( FR )
“ Terminus ” La Chapelle du Carmel - Chalon s/ Saône ( FR )
2003 “ Wake Up ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR ) 2002 “ Voyages en terres inconnues ” L’atelier d’artiste chez vous - Paris ( FR )
1998 “ Welcome to Vénus ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )
1997 “ LAPINTURE ” Galerie Hugues de Payns - Tours ( FR )
1996 “ L’être ou ne Palette ” Espace St Jacques - Saint Quentin ( FR )
1995 “ C’est Moi qui Lapin, Sétois qui Voit ” Galerie Beau Lézard - Sète ( FR )
“ La Vie dont je suis le Héros ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )
1994 “ Que Passa ” Galerie Punto - Valencia (ES)
“ Viva Lapinture ” Galerie Italia - Alicante (ES) 1993 “ Le Monde Alaloupe “ Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )
FIAC “ One Man Show ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )
1992 FIAC “ One Man Show ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )

1991 “ Paris, Tours, Rennes ” Galeries Polaris, Michel Pommier, Collin ( FR )
1990 “ Speedy Graphito, Produit de l'Art” Espace Action - Paris ( FR )

“ SG Peint l’Art Moderne de 1990 à nos jours ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )
1989 “ King Of The City ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )

1988 “ Étude Des Saints ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )
1987 “ Le Radeau des Médusés ” Espace Action - Paris ( FR )

“ LAPINTURE au Génie ” Galerie Wanet - Charleroi (BE)
1986 “ L’atelier de L’artiste ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )

“ Génie Artistique ” Institut Français - Naples (IT)
1985 “ A La Recherche de Zarzan ” Galerie Paradis - Paris ( FR )

“ Meurtre dans un Château Anglais ” Galerie Polaris - Paris ( FR )