M.CHAT (Thoma Vuille)
M. Chat (Thoma Vuille), Franco-Swiss street artist born in 1977, creator since 1997 of the famous smiling yellow cat painted on walls worldwide. Original canvases, signed screenprints, and artist's books.
M. Chat, the Yellow Smile Brightening Cities
M. Chat, whose real name is Thoma Vuille, is one of France's most popular street artists. Since 1997, his large yellow cat with a wide smile has appeared on walls, roofs, chimneys, and facades in dozens of cities, from Orléans to Paris, Geneva to Hong Kong. Optimistic and benevolent, it has become a symbol of urban art that brings smiles to cities.
Milestones
- 1977: Thoma Vuille is born in Boudry, Switzerland, on July 16.
- 1990s: Studies at the École des beaux-arts in Orléans.
- 1997: First yellow cat on the walls of Orléans.
- 2004: Filmmaker Chris Marker partially dedicates his film Chats perchés to him.
- 2007: His identity is revealed during an arrest in Orléans.
- Since: Murals worldwide, canvases, screenprints, books, and objects.
- 2021: Creates a mural at Galerie 125, in Argancy, in June.
A Cat Born to Brighten the City
Franco-Swiss, Thoma Vuille began painting in his teens. After training in civil engineering, he joined the École des beaux-arts in Orléans, where he spent several years. It was there, in 1997, that he first drew his yellow cat, inspired, he says, by a little girl's drawing. His goal is simple: to bring joy and humanity to a city he finds too gray. The cat quickly multiplied in Orléans, then in Paris, Tours, Nantes, before conquering the world.
A Universal Character
With a round belly, raised arms, and a smile from ear to ear, M. Chat's cat is instantly recognizable. It stretches out on Paris rooftops, slips into train stations, naps in the Marseille sun, or flies with wings. The choice of a pseudonym raises a question dear to the artist: can a drawing live without its creator? The cat now belongs to passersby as much as to him. In 2004, it appears in Chris Marker's film Chats perchés, which makes these smiling cats a poetic thread of Parisian life.
From the Street to the Canvas
Without ever leaving the street, M. Chat has developed a significant body of studio work: acrylics on canvas, paintings on paper, sculptures, masks, screenprints, and artist's books. His canvases, often dedicated to Paris and its rooftops or Marseille and the Mediterranean, retain the freshness and humor of his urban interventions. His limited edition screenprints, signed and numbered, are highly sought after by street art enthusiasts.
Choosing a M. Chat Artwork
Original paintings on canvas offer the full generosity of his color and line, from small formats to large compositions. Signed screenprints, like those dedicated to Paris or Marseille, allow one to acquire an authentic work by the artist at a more accessible price. Artist's books are a lovely way to explore his universe. Each work offered by the gallery is precisely described and sold with an invoice-certificate.
M. Chat: Artwork Prices and Market Value
The price of a M. Chat artwork primarily depends on its nature: a unique hand-painted piece or a print in multiple copies. Then come the format, the medium, the presence of hand embellishments, the signature, and the numbering. As an indication, here are the price ranges generally observed in the market, both in galleries and public sales:
- Small lithographs and screenprints, from 10 x 20 to 25 x 25 cm: from €195 to €350.
- Large format signed and numbered screenprints, from 50 x 70 to 75 x 75 cm: from €295 to €700.
- Hand-enhanced screenprints in very large format: around €2,000.
- Unique works on metro cards, old maps, or cards: from €1,250 to €1,950.
- Medium canvases, from 40 x 40 to 55 x 75 cm: from €3,450 to €5,950.
- Large canvases, from 117 x 90 cm: from €8,500 to €12,500.
- Steel sculptures: around €3,000.
Canvases depicting the winged cat on Paris rooftops or with the Eiffel Tower are among the most sought after, and the demand for his unique, limited works remains strong.
Original work or screenprint by M. Chat: how to distinguish?
A canvas or a work painted on a metro card is a unique piece, hand-crafted by Thoma Vuille. A screenprint is an original print produced in a limited edition, hand-signed and numbered in pencil by the artist. A hand-enhanced screenprint has been individually retouched, making it unique. Each work offered by the gallery specifies its technique, format, edition, and signature, and is sold with an invoice-certificate.
Where did M. Chat first appear?
M. Chat is the character created by Thoma Vuille, a Franco-Swiss artist born in 1977. This large yellow cat with a wide smile appeared on the walls of Orléans in the late 1990s, before taking over the rooftops, chimneys, and facades of Paris and the world.
Why does M. Chat smile?
Thoma Vuille wanted to create a character that would bring joy to passersby. His smile is an invitation to cheerfulness and poetry in the city, a simple message that explains his popularity with all audiences.
How much does a work by M. Chat cost?
On the market, signed screenprints by M. Chat start at around €300, unique works on old supports from around €1,250, and original acrylic canvases, rarer, from around €3,500 for a medium format to over €12,000 for very large canvases.
M. Chat at Galerie 125
The gallery presents above a wide selection of works by M. Chat: original canvases such as "Sieste ailée sur les toits," "C'est pas le Pérou," "Libération," "Chat parisien, Siesta," "Classic Paris Siesta," "Embarqué à Marseille," "Pas parlé" and "Pas entendu," signed screenprints like "Jeux de Paris 2024" or "Marseille," printed in eleven colors, as well as "Bises Bee" and the artist's book "Escapade." In June 2021, M. Chat also painted a mural at Galerie 125 in Argancy: another reason to discover it by appointment, just minutes from Metz. Works purchased online are shipped quickly, carefully packaged, tracked, and insured. Other urban art artists to discover: Jérôme Mesnager, JonOne, and Shepard Fairey.
Do you own a work by M. Chat and wish to sell it? Find out how on our Sell a work page.