Born in 1973 in Marseille, France, Basto was struck by the innumerable graffitis spread all over the streets of Paris in 1989. A year after, his name could be seen on various walls, metros, buses or delivery trucks in his hometown. Before turning 20, Basto was selected to participate in the BJCM (Biennale des Jeunes Créateurs de la Méditerranée) in Valencia, Spain, for which he realised a monumental fresco on one the exhibition’s pavilions facing the sea.

 

His Mediterranean origins inspire his colorful compositions mixing warm and primary colours, essentially blue, yelow, and red. Basto was a pioneer of the graffiti scene in Marseille, the first to paint three metro stations in 1991, with his crew RTM (Réseau des Taggeurs Marseillais). Since the mid-90's, he slowly abandoned the street to focus on canvas, a medium he believed would help Street Art to get recognized in closed art circles. A privileged witness of the birth and development of Urban Art in Marseille, Basto is currently preparing a retrospective that should make some noise.