Ben Eine

(British, born 1970)

Ben Eine is a British street artist known for his distinctive use of blocked letter forms. “Street artists want to add something to the environment,” he has said. “They consider the audience, whereas graffiti writers don’t care about anyone except themselves, they do it purely for the kick.” Born Ben Flynn on August 23, 1970 in London, United Kingdom, he started as a graffiti artist tagging the streets of London as a youth. After 25 years he turned to commercial printing as a day job, producing unique prints for Banksy and David Shrigley among others. Helped by Banksy into the fine art scene, Eine began to focus on his own career in 2008. In 2010, the U.S. President Barack Obama was gifted Eine’s painting Twenty First Century City by the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Tony Blair. The artist continues to live and work in London, United Kingdom. Today, his works are held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.