JR once tagged trains with graffiti. Now he’s responsible for one of the most luxurious carriages in the world

Once upon a time, artist JR was just another teenage rebel with a spray can, tagging trains in his native Paris. Not big, not clever, but nevertheless a confluence of interests at the start of an illustrious career.

The street artist, photographer and Oscar-nominated filmmaker says he has always been a fan of trains. Commuting from the deprived outskirts of Paris into the city as a youngster, he realized he was aboard a moving canvas that could take artworks to places an artist had never been. That’s his explanation for the graffiti, anyway. It’s the same reason why he’s still putting his stamp on trains today.