Ernest Pignon-Ernest

Ernest Pignon-Ernest was born in Nice in 1942 he is French. He is an artist : one of the pioneers of street art. He actually lives in Paris (the french capital) and he is a Defensor of Humans Rights. He is a communist. He studied in Nice (architecture).

In 1974 he reacted to the twinning of le Cap in South Africa and Nice. He did a series « jumelage Nice the le corp ». He took an engagement against apartheid. He sticked more than 1000 drawings on the walls in Nice with the help of his friend. He did silk-screen paintings. He was inspirated by poets, his art is ephemeral : the street is the settings and the subject of his ephemeral works of art. He shows a total engagement in political, poetic, and plastic. The aim of his art is to open the eyes of the spectator to look at misery, povrty, immigration, racism and epidemics.

He is the witness of his time.

A quotation of the artist : « Places are my essential materials.I try to understand, to grasp everything that can be seen there-space, light, colours-and at the same time everything that cannot or no longer be seen: history, buried memories. »

Picture of Ernest Pignon-Ernest.