Zevs, 1977
ZEVS, 1977
The French artist Zevs (born Christophe Aguirre Schwarz) is a pivotal figure in the street art movement, known for his bold interventions in urban spaces and his distinctive approach to brand critique. He was born in Saverne, France, in 1977, and lives and works in Paris.
Zevs began as a graffiti artist in Paris in the 1990s, using various pseudonyms such as 'The Shadow Flasher' and 'The Serial Ad Killer'. His pseudonym 'Zevs' - pronounced 'Zeus' - refers to a train that almost ran him over while tagging in 1992.
Since his early days working on the streets of Paris during the 1990s, Zevs has become one of the most prominent figures on the contemporary street art scene, along with other French artists such as Andre and Invader.
Zevs is best known for his trademark ‘Liquidation’ technique, in which he transforms seemingly solid images into evocatively dripping ones that are perhaps more unstable than they seem. He has experimented with various methods in his graffiti, canvases, and performances that help him
to subvert the ubiquitous, commercially driven and Hollywood-driven culture of the 21st century.
From city sidewalks to gallery walls, Zevs reacts to urban signs and consumer codes, questioning public space, art, and the relationship between art and consumerism.
In the past, this has included a high-profile ‘kidnapping’ of a figure from a billboard, an infamous arrest following his creation of a large-scale mural of a liquidated Chanel logo in Hong Kong, and his “Visual Violations” series, in which he blurred out the faces of figures like Jim Morrison and
Marilyn Monroe. With his work, Zevs offers a commentary on the lasting widespread influence of these figures, as well as corporate logos ranging from Louis Vuitton to Coca-Cola to Apple, on contemporary culture. No matter what he does to them, these images are instantly recognizable to nearly everyone.
In 2008, Zevs held his first solo museum exhibition, “Electroshock”, at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, a classical art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The exhibition featured works from all his major series up to that point, displayed alongside masterpieces from the museum's permanent collection, including Édouard Manet's The Absinthe Drinker and Auguste Rodin's The Thinker.
In 2009, Zevs held his first solo exhibition in Asia, “Liquidated Logos”, at the Hong Kong-based gallery Art Statements, showcasing his clever distortions of major brand logos.
In 2010, his work was featured at the Moscow Biennial.
In 2011, Zevs had his first solo exhibition in New York, “Liquidated Version”, at De Buck Gallery, continuing his artistic commentary on corporate influence. The exhibition featured well-known brands such as Coca-Cola and Louis Vuitton, along with financial institutions such as Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and Goldman Sachs. Many works showcased Zevs’s signature liquidation technique, visually dissolving logos before viewers' eyes and creating a distinctive dripped effect.
In 2016, building on his interest in liquidation and dripping logos, Zevs created the “Big Oil Splash” series (also known as “Swimming Pools”), inspired by David Hockney’s iconic 1967 painting “A Bigger Splash”. This provocative series, critiquing globalization and the oil industry, was showcased at Lazarides Gallery.
© Manuel Lagos Cid
Selected Exhibitions
2025/2026 – Upcoming
A retrospective exhibition at the Wood Art Institute, Hamburg, Germany is scheduled for spring/summer 2026
A solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai (MoCA Shanghai) is scheduled for January to April 2026
A Japan retrospective tour in Osaka and Tokyo will feature Zevs's works across several galleries, including a solo show at Parco Museum Tokyo, scheduled for June to September 2025
A solo exhibition at Kunsthal n Foundation, Copenhagen, Denmark – Date to be confirmed
A solo exhibition at Artrust Gallery, Lugano, Switzerland – Date to be confirmed
A sculpture will be commissioned and exhibited at the Renault Group Foundation, Boulogne-Billancourt, France
2025 – Current
“Sombras Electricas”, Alliance Française, Havana, Cuba – Ongoing until February 28th
2024
“Minimal Painting”, Galerie Torri, Paris, France
“Visual Overdose”, Art installation at Art Basel Paris, The Invisible Gallery, Paris, France
“Temporary Sanctuary”, Over the Influence Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand
2023
“Room 711”, Hangaram Art Museum - Seoul Art Centers, Seoul, South Korea
“Voleur d’Image - Magie du Louvre”, Musée du Louvre, Paris France
2022
“Le Serpent Cosmique”, Lille3000 - Musée de l’Hospice Comtesse, Lille, France
“Tumultes”, La Collégiale Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier, curated by Danysz Gallery, Orléans, France
“Berlin, nos années 20”, Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
2021
“Oikos Logos”, MAMO Centre d’Art de la Cité Radieuse, Marseille, France
“Phillip Morris Still Life Locked Room” – permanent installation, CCA Andratx, Mallorca, Spain
“The Last Cowboy is Dead”, New Galerie, Paris, France
2019
“15th Biennale de Lyon”, Musée d’Art Contemporain, Lyon France
“Aguirre Schwarz Savoure le Rouge”, New Galerie, Paris, France
2018
“Aguirre Schwarz aka Zevs: Supreme Même”, Over the Influence Gallery, Hong Kong, China
2017
“Zevs: Liquid Assets”, Taglialatella Galleries, New York, USA
2016
“Noir Éclair”, Château de Vincennes, Vincennes, France
“The Big Oil Splash”, Lazarides Gallery, London, UK
2015
“Zevs: Elle”, De Buck Gallery, New York, USA
”Aguirre Schwarz au Pays de l’Or Noir”, Galerie Rive Gauche, Marcel Strouk, Paris France
“The Autobiography of Aguirre Schwarz. An Exhibition by Zevs”, CCA Andratx, Mallorca, Spain
Selected Group Shows:
2025
“Effets Indésirables (Side Effects)”, New Gallery, Paris, France – Ongoing until March 29th
“Shared Horizons”, X Havana Biennial, Havana, Cuba – Ongoing until February 28th
2024
“Why is Urban Art Now: From Bangucheon to Urban Art”, Ulsan Art Museum, Ulsan, South Korea
“Monomythology”, The Hole Gallery, New York, USA
“Netflix and Chill”, New Gallery, Paris, France
“2024 Urban Art Biennale”, Völklingen Ironworks (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Völklingen, Germany
“Sous Influence”, New Gallery, Paris, France
2023
“BIENALSUR”, Babel Mallorca, Mallorca, Spain
“Module of Temporality (MOT)”, Danysz Gallery – launch of new cultural center, Kiev, Ukraine
2022
“Capitales: 60 d’art urbain à Paris”, Hôtel de Ville, Paris, France
“Wonderwalls”, NRW-Forum Düsseldorf – Museum Kunstpalast, Düsseldorf, Germany
“2022 Urban Art Biennale”, Völklingen Ironworks (UNESCO World Heritage Site), Völklingen, Germany
2021
“Swimming Pool - Troubled Water”, Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany
2020
“Wall”, Urban Spree, Berlin, Germany
“Aguirre Schwarz / Zevs: Atone Etoile”, Confort Moderne, Poitiers, France
2019
“Post Contemporary - Urban Graphics 7019 ”, Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA), Shanghai , China
“Who Cares”, New Galerie, Paris, France
2018
“Art From The Streets”, ArtScience Museum, Singapore, Singapore
2017
“What’s Up Doc”, New Galerie, Paris, France
“Dessins Perturbateurs”, Galerie Métropolis, Paris, France
2016
“Painting Is Dead. Long Live Painting”, CCA Andratx, Mallorca, Spain
2015
“Summer in the City”, Martin Asbaek Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark
Market Presence
His “Swimming Pools” series is set to receive significant exposure in the coming months as part of a retrospective tour in Japan this summer, which will include the Parco Museum in Tokyo and several Japanese galleries. Following this, the series will be exhibited at MoCA Shanghai and the Wood Art Institute in Hamburg. Zevs' s growing international presence and increasing museum exposure are expected to attract institutional interest and drive his market prices higher.
Strong Historical Return
With 93.3% price growth in two years and a 25% discount to gallery prices, Zevs’s latest works offer up to 37.4% annualized returns. As his global recognition expands, these unique pieces present a rare opportunity for collectors seeking both artistic prestige and strong financial appreciation.
Completed Fractionalization Offerings
