Waco, Texas story
The Street Artist Who Inspired Banksy Came to Waco
In 2018, Parisian stencil pioneer Blek Le Rat visited Waco to create six murals in the downtown Cultural District.
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Imagine a world before Banksy, before the massive global phenomenon of stencil art. Long before that, there was Xavier Prou, a Parisian artist known as Blek Le Rat. He's a pioneer of the layered spray-paint technique that eventually influenced Banksy himself.
In November 2018, this street art legend arrived in Waco. It was a whirlwind visit, and during his time here, he left behind six secret marks on the downtown Cultural District. These weren't just paintings, but six stencil-based characters that now blend into the city's urban landscape.
It's a bit of a strange coincidence that he arrived the very day that local figure Kurt Kaiser died. Now, as you walk, keep an eye out for those hidden figures. They're a little piece of Paris, a little bit of art history, and a a few spray cans of paint, hidden right here in downtown Waco.
Updated June 2026