Speedy Graphito (1961) - Ganas

Speedy Graphito, whose real name is Olivier Rizzo, is a French visual artist born in 1961 in Paris. He is considered one of the pioneers of street art in France, a major figure since the 1980s. A graduate of École Estienne in 1983, he began his career within the X-Moulinex collective, before dedicating himself fully to his personal approach from 1984. Early on, he occupied the urban space with a recognizable style that blends stencils, painting, humor, and pop references.

His artistic universe draws on free figuration, comics, manga, video games, but also advertising imagery and Disney, which he reworks to denounce their impact on the collective imagination. The character “Lapinture,” which he invented, quickly became a recurring icon of his work. The artist questions with irony and acuity the visual codes of our consumer society, while offering a playful and critical reading of the contemporary world.

Speedy Graphito deftly handles painting, sculpture, video, photography, performances, and digital art. He is the author of emblematic murals on the walls of Paris and many cities around the world. His works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and prestigious institutions, in France as well as abroad. Among his most notable exhibitions, one can cite “Un Art de Vivre” at the Musée du Touquet-Paris-Plage in 2016, his first major museum retrospective, “Les Mondes Imaginaire” at the Musée en Herbe in Paris in 2021, or “La Grande Illusion” at Fluctuart in 2024, an immersive experience lauded by critics.

His work is also presented in international galleries, such as Fabien Castanier Gallery in Los Angeles and Miami, Kolly Gallery in Zurich, or Cohle Gallery in Paris. In 2016, he set a record at an auction house Tajan with his piece “Art is Fight,” sold for 58,500 euros, confirming his status as a major figure in contemporary urban art. In homage to the great masters of art history, he references in his works Van Gogh, Mondrian, Miró, and even Dalí, while maintaining a dynamic, colorful, and impact-driven style.

His work is a critical mirror of our era, at once engaged, poetic, and accessible, which resonates strongly with a broad audience.