Born in Nice, France, Ernest Pignon-Ernest emerged as a significant figure in the French art scene during the 1960s. He is widely recognized for his early interventions in the public sphere, which predated the contemporary street art movement and were deeply influenced by the Situationist International and Fluxus movements.

His practice involves creating life-sized, ephemeral charcoal drawings on paper that are pasted onto urban surfaces. These figures are meticulously designed to interact with the architecture and the specific history of the site, often depicting figures of social struggle, historical trauma, or cultural significance.

Throughout his career, he has maintained a focus on the relationship between art and the public environment. His work has been the subject of numerous exhibitions and retrospectives in major European institutions, cementing his status as a foundational figure in the development of site-specific public art.