Jef Aérosol - Chut !

50 x 60 cm pigment print on Mat Epson 190g paper.

 

Each print is signed in pencil by the artist.

A huge black-and-white portrait stares at you, eyes wide and finger over mouth to command silence: “Shhhhh!” it seems to be saying.

Jef Aérosol's stencil portrait of Place Stravinsky is 22 metres high and 14 metres wide.

The work was created entirely with stencils and aerosol cans, a symbol of Jef Aérosol's signature style.

The artist was assisted in his work by a team of young painters. In all, over 100 cans were used to achieve the final result.

 

Since then, the stencil artist has become famous the world over, and his works have covered the facades of numerous cities in France and abroad, as far afield as the Great Wall of China.

These stencils fetch thousands of euros at auction. But why “Chuuuttt! Because the fresco is located near the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (IRCAM).

So, the portrait invites noisy passers-by to shut up and listen to the music.

 

“In 2011, I was invited by Dominique Bertinotti, then mayor of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, to create a large-scale fresco on Place Stravinsky, between the Église Saint-Merri and the Centre Georges-Pompidou, opposite the famous fountain by Tinguely and Nikki de Saint Phalle.

The mural took five days to complete, using stencils and spray cans. It's my self-portrait in large format.

With my finger in front of my mouth, I seem to be saying “Chuuuuttt!!!”, but I insist that this is in no way an injunction to keep quiet.

Rather, my message is: “Listen, listen to each other, listen to the urban symphony, the melody of the city, feel the heartbeat of the capital, the pulse of Paris”.

The city is more than just police sirens and engine noise: it's also the cries of children, the songs of birds and street musicians, and the extraordinary linguistic mix of passers-by and tourists, so numerous around the Centre Pompidou.

Be attentive to others, avoid monopolizing speech and let others' words find their way into you, accept differences and share.

Widen your eyes and observe, nourish yourself with what surrounds you and don't shut yourself away in the comfort of your everyday life."

— Jef Aérosol

Jef Aérosol, born in 1957 in Nantes, France, is one of the founding figures of the French street art movement. Known for his black and white stencil portraits often marked with a small red arrow, his work captures the emotional depth of anonymous figures, icons, and everyday people encountered in urban life.

 

He began painting in the streets in the early 1980s, placing his stencils on walls across French cities at a time when street art was still underground and rarely recognized as a legitimate artistic practice. Over time, his style became instantly recognizable for its intensity, simplicity, and humanism.

 

From musicians and migrants to children and cultural legends, his subjects reflect a deep sensitivity to the human condition. Jef Aérosol’s work has been shown in galleries and public spaces around the world, while always remaining deeply rooted in the street. His art invites us to slow down, notice the invisible, and connect with the silent stories told by the walls around us.