Invader's Lou Reed mosaic was stolen — an East Village resident brought it back as a wheatpaste

New Lou Reed "mosaics" have been popping up around the East Village in recent days — wheatpasted prints that match the scale and design of the Space Invader tile piece that once overlooked St. Mark's Place.

An East Village resident tells us they created the print to memorialize the original mosaic, which was stolen in September. They wheatpasted one in the exact spot where the Lou Reed Invader once lived, along with a few others on plywood around the neighborhood.

"I saw this morning that some people already tried to take some of the printed images," the resident told us. "But unlike the tile pieces, these will truly have zero value and are a testament to how much people love that image of Lou Reed."

Back in September, we reported that two men used a ladder early one morning to pry away Invader's nearly 10-year-old mosaic from the upper floor of 110 St. Mark's Place between Avenue A and First Avenue. Residents called 911 and later contacted the 9th Precinct. (The suspects actually returned to the scene of the crime.) 

Neighbors also linked one of the suspects to a similar Invader theft above Ralph's Famous Italian Ices on Avenue A and Ninth Street in the summer of 2024. 

Invader condemned the rip-offs at the time, noting that once removed from the wall, the tiles are essentially worthless. His mosaics first appeared around NYC — including in the East Village — in 2015, some in collaboration with the LISA Project. 

There is some good news for fans: after being contacted by the local resident, Space Invader confirmed he intends to reinstall the Lou Reed piece in the future. 

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• The Lou Reed Mosaic Bandit of St. Mark's returns