Eine turns graffiti into art
23.05.12
It was hard to believe this was the scene a few years ago at 10 Downing Street, the home of the British prime minister. The new Conservative prime minister, David Cameron, was sharing tea and biscuits in the drawing room with the artist Eine, a vandal of some repute. They discussed the state of the country and art. Samantha Cameron, the prime minister's wife, had cast her critical eye over an Eine painting titled "21st Century City." It would make the perfect gift for President Obama .
The president received the painting when Britain's first couple came to the White House on an official visit in 2010. Eine, the artist who helped introduce Banksy to the underground graffiti scene in London, had gone from convictions for criminal damage to hanging in the White House. His letter form of graffiti has made him a commercial and artistic success: Eine even shows he's part of the establishment now with a "Vote Conservative" tattoo on his leg.
Denizens of Hayes Valley, the Tenderloin and the Mission District can see his work beaming at them from buildings and walls. Since arriving in San Francisco last year, he has been busy.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle