"Lockdown walls," the response of more than 400 street artists to the health crisis, in aid of the Institut Pasteur

Les murs du confinement ("Lockdown walls"), a book of photos featuring a foreword by Stewart Cole, was published on November 12 by Omnisciences. It contains images of the works of more than 400 renowned street artists produced in the unique context of the first lockdown in the early months of 2020, which served as the inspiration for almost 600 artworks in 50 countries.  

Echoing the book's preface, the authors wanted to showcase the first colorized image of cells infected with SARS-CoV-2, an illustration that shows how science, just like art – the two are intricately linked –, was also an observer of this strange period, "with its share of doubts and questions, passions and new potential."

 

As well as providing an artistic and historical account of an unprecedented period, the book also reflects a real desire to support the Institut Pasteur's research. All the royalties of the book's authors will be donated to the Institut Pasteur.

 

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the artists who are supporting our scientists' research with their generous contributions to this book. Their words, their drawings, their colors, their outrage, their creative inspiration and their efforts to educate are a powerful reflection of a difficult period and of humanity's capacity for resilience and resistance. They are a source of energy for all our scientists.

(extract from the foreword by Professor Stewart Cole, President of the Institut Pasteur)