Mr Brainwash

Mr. Brainwash, whose real name is Thierry Guetta, was born near Paris, in Sarcelles, in 1966.

Videographer and pop artist, he mainly creates stencil works and graffiti.

He attended Fairfax High school for about a year, but dropped out to organize events in Hollywood. He then began selling vintage clothing in Los Angeles, New York and Miami.

His interest in the world of street art began in 1999, when he traveled to France and became close to his cousin, Parisian street artist Space Invader. With a passion for video, Thierry Guetta began filming all his graffiti escapades alongside other street artists such as Shepard Fairey and Wevs. At the time, the videos were not meant to be shown. So he took up graffiti himself and became Mr.Brainwash. His world is a mixture of Banksy's stencils and Andy Warhol's imagery.

In 2009, he met British artist Banksy and helped him launch his Barely Legal exhibition in Los Angeles, an event that attracted the interest of celebrities and art collectors alike. The two artists then decided to make a documentary on the world of street artists, until then shrouded in mystery. Previously shot footage was then edited to show Invader, Banksy and Mr. Brainwash himself at work.

The result was the Oscar-nominated docu-drama Exit through the Gift Shop (or Faites le Mur!), which premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. The film presents Mr. Brainwash's meteoric rise on the urban art scene, and his works sold for astronomical sums, such as his portrait of Jim Morrison, sold for $100,000, or one of Charlie Chaplin estimated at $50,000. Following the success of the film, Mr. Brainwash's works became increasingly sought-after.

But history can also be taken in reverse. While it has been shown that Mr.Brainwash is not a fictional character, he is in fact fabricated by this film. Fiction has caught up with reality, making Mr.Brainwash a real player on the art market.