Ben Eine (English)

Art

Who is painter Ben Eine?

Ben Eine is an English urban and graffiti artist who often creates largescale alphabet lettering on the shutters of shops all over London. Since his early years as a graffiti artist, he’s expanded his art to include a clothing line (EINE London), music videos, and even cameos in the popular video game, Grand Theft Auto. Eine also owns and operates his own creative studio, OurTypes -- a multimedia creative studio whose work centers around words and typeface. One of its best-known creations is the typeface, New Circus Font.

Eine has worked prominently with the legendary, Banksy, a partnership that was instrumental in his early popularity. During this time he co-founded the screen print company Pictures On Walls. They produced several notable hand-pulled prints for artists like Jamie Hewlett, Modern Toss, and David Shrigley. Eine is famous for his charitable work and contributions. Several of his auction sales have gone to support nonprofits like Shelter and War Child. He also contributed several street art pieces to a campaign aimed to end knife crime violence in England. In 2011, Eine was asked by Amnesty International to design its 50th-anniversary poster. His work has been exhibited in galleries across the world including the Carmichael Gallery, Project One Gallery in San Francisco, and the Whisper Gallery.

What kind of art does Ben Eine make?

Ben Eine is a multidisciplinary artist who has made graffiti, screenprints, clothing, stickers, and even music videos during his extremely diverse career. Much of Eine’s work focuses on typefaces, large and interesting lettering that he uses to paint the front of shops in London. These pieces are often whimsically colored, featuring bright greens and warm oranges. While controversial at first, the general public has embraced Eine’s graffiti as art. In a survey of London residents, enough said they enjoyed Eine’s art that the city actually changed its policy to allow for some types of graffiti. Eine’s work has become so popular that in 2010 then British prime minister, David Cameron presented President Barack Obama with the painting Twenty-First Century City by Eine as a gift.

How did painter Ben Eine get started?

Not much is known of Ben Eine’s early life other than the fact that he grew up in one of the graffiti meccas of the world -- London. He came upon his distinct alphabet-lettering style early in his artistic career. The first place that Eine set up shop was the infamous Dragon Bar in London where he produced several lines of custom street clothing. The most popular was his custom VANDALS sweatshirts. This led the young artist to screenprinting, eventually partnering with fellow urban art luminary, Banksy to found the company Pictures on Walls. He left the company in 2008 to pursue a solo artistic career. Eine’s work with Banksy would continue on different projects and that association led to his discovery by many in the commercial art world.

How much are Ben Eine paintings worth?

Ben Eine paintings can be worth anywhere from approximately $850 to $15,000. The most ever paid for a Ben Eine piece at auction is $15,000 for the work, The Big Black Circus A to Z (2011) which sold on April 30th, 2016. It is a beautiful and vivid work, one of Eine’s trademark typefaces on a large-scale canvas painted in spray paint and glitter. Many of Eine’s pieces have been estimated at around $10,000, so this $15,000 may be a bit of an outlier. His work has proved extremely popular over the last decade.

Where to buy Ben Eine paintings for sale?

See the works for sale below. Why buy from Heritage? Art buyers feel confident because our experts know the market and put careful valuations on the artwork for sale. We make the bidding process easier to help you expand your art collection.

How to value Ben Eine paintings?

The best way to value art is to compare past auction prices for similar works. View past sale prices below. When you’re ready to sell, contact Heritage Auctions to request an auction estimate of the likely selling price at auction. If you need a formal written appraisal for estate planning or insurance, please contact our Appraisal Services Department.