French-Swiss painter Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) was born in Boudry, in the canton of Neuchâtel, in 1977. He produced his first works of street art in acrylic when he was just 15, in memory of his grandfather, a house painter. This idea of the «memory» of the wall as a material would remain firmly anchored in his work. A student at the Institut d'arts visuels d'Orléans between 1995 and 2001, it was in the streets of Orléans that he created his emblematic character: Mr CHAT, a benevolent and cheerful figure, smiling around walls and on rooftops.
These almost childlike features and spirit come from the very source of his initial inspiration: a laughing, feline figure drawn by a little girl while he was teaching a class in Orléans in 1997. He then decided to spread the image of the tomcat across the walls of Orléans, with the sole aim of «bringing humanity and love to the city». At first glance, Mr CHAT may seem like a logo, with his simple drawing and «cartoonish silhouette», but he's much more than that, delighting and captivating us as we wander through the city with his Dantesque smile. Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) has become an emblematic figure of French street art, gradually multiplying the images of his yellow sidekick across all media: from the front or in profile, winged or simply suspended in mid-air, or sitting quietly between two chimneys.
Mr CHAT's smile, reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's enigmatic and fascinating «Cheshire Cat», no doubt goes some way to explaining his appeal to the public: «a manifestation of benevolence with a universal destination, a poetic proposition open to the world», according to Nora Monnet (Artistik Rezo). With M. CHAT, Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) aims to dispel the reticence usually associated with the practice of street art and to share it through the prism of a culture of proximity, even if it means partially emancipating himself from the street.
In 2004, Arte produced Chats Perchés, a film directed by Chris Marker and devoted to Mr CHAT, which was then screened at the Centre Pompidou. For the occasion, a huge painted Mr CHAT adorned the façade of the Parisian public institution, and the newspaper Libération offered Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. Mr CHAT) carte blanche. Translated into several languages, the film has been screened all over the world, notably in England and the United States in 2006, bringing the fame of the Franco-Swiss street artist in its wake.
Mr CHAT's infectious smile can now be seen all over the world: on the streets of Rennes, Nantes and Paris, in Germany, England, Italy, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul and Dakar. Recognised as a major figure on the European street art scene, Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) is as much a part of the urban art world today as he is of less «marginalised» movements such as pop art.
French-Swiss painter Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) was born in Boudry, in the canton of Neuchâtel, in 1977. He produced his first works of street art in acrylic when he was just 15, in memory of his grandfather, a house painter. This idea of the «memory» of the wall as a material would remain firmly anchored in his work. A student at the Institut d'arts visuels d'Orléans between 1995 and 2001, it was in the streets of Orléans that he created his emblematic character: Mr CHAT, a benevolent and cheerful figure, smiling around walls and on rooftops.
These almost childlike features and spirit come from the very source of his initial inspiration: a laughing, feline figure drawn by a little girl while he was teaching a class in Orléans in 1997. He then decided to spread the image of the tomcat across the walls of Orléans, with the sole aim of «bringing humanity and love to the city». At first glance, Mr CHAT may seem like a logo, with his simple drawing and «cartoonish silhouette», but he's much more than that, delighting and captivating us as we wander through the city with his Dantesque smile. Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) has become an emblematic figure of French street art, gradually multiplying the images of his yellow sidekick across all media: from the front or in profile, winged or simply suspended in mid-air, or sitting quietly between two chimneys.
Mr CHAT's smile, reminiscent of Lewis Carroll's enigmatic and fascinating «Cheshire Cat», no doubt goes some way to explaining his appeal to the public: «a manifestation of universal benevolence, a poetic proposition open to the world», according to Nora Monnet (Artistik Rezo). With M. CHAT, Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) aims to dispel the reticence usually associated with the practice of street art and to share it through the prism of a culture of proximity, even if it means partially emancipating himself from the street.
In 2004, Arte produced Chats Perchés, a film directed by Chris Marker and devoted to Mr CHAT, which was then screened at the Centre Pompidou. For the occasion, a huge painted Mr CHAT adorned the façade of the Parisian public institution, and the newspaper Libération offered Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. Mr CHAT) carte blanche. Translated into several languages, the film has been screened all over the world, notably in England and the United States in 2006, bringing the fame of the Franco-Swiss street artist in its wake.
Mr CHAT's infectious smile can now be seen all over the world: on the streets of Rennes, Nantes and Paris, in Germany, England, Italy, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul and Dakar. Recognised as a major figure on the European street art scene, Thoma Vuille (a.k.a. M. CHAT) is as much a part of the urban art world today as he is of less «marginalised» movements such as pop art.
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