Logan Hicks back at work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Logan Hicks, known for his photorealistic stenciled paintings, was up early (out late?) at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall today... redoing the work — titled "Story of My Life" — that he began in late July that got wiped out by the heat and torrential rain. (Workers have refurbished the wall with weatherproof panels.)

And several readers have said there are security guards here 24/7 via landlord Goldman Properties to see that the wall isn't the victim of hijinks.

Meanwhile at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Workers repaired the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall this past week with new weatherproof boards ... in preparation for Logan Hicks to return perhaps as early as Monday. (The extreme heat with a torrential downpour in late July ruined his previous stencil-in progress.)

Meanwhile, someone decided to create his or her own mural on the blank canvas... not sure what it was. Crews were out this morning quickly painting it over...

Another day at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Last Monday, Logan Hicks started work an intricate stencil project on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall.

Unfortunately, though, the heavy rains and stifling heat early last week caused the wall to shift... and Hicks and Co. were forced to stop, remove their work to date and wait for repairs.

The wall looks as if it has been buffed ... and ready for Hicks to return ... Meanwhile, there's a tempting blank canvas ...


[Photo by Lola Sáenz]

Blackout at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

After two days of painstaking work in the July heat, Logan Hicks decided to black out his work to date on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall.

As Gothamist noted:

It was looking great ... brightly colored and wonderfully detailed from end to end — but apparently when the crew arrived early this morning the wooden panels that now comprise the wall had shifted overnight, developing seams and making it impossible to continue with layer three. So they buffed the whole thing!

Wall curator Jessica Goldman Srebnick offered an explanation on Instagram:

Unfortunately, with Monday's monsoon rains and stifling heat we experienced damage to the HB wall. We decided together with artist Logan Hicks that it would be best to make the necessary repairs and when ready, begin again with Logan's masterpiece. It will be well worth the wait. @loganhicksny #greatestpublicartwallever #staytuned

A photo posted by Jessica Goldman Srebnick (@jessicawynwood) on Jul 27, 2016 at 1:02pm PDT

Here's how the wall was looking Monday afternoon...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Logan Hicks bringing the story of his life to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Logan Hicks starts work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Logan Hicks, known for his photorealistic stenciled paintings, started work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall today. (He began at 4 a.m.)

These photos are from about 20 minutes before it started to pour late this afternoon...



Here's more about the work via a news release on the new mural:

The Bowery Wall mural will be Hicks’ most personal piece yet. His signature architectural landscape is set on Greene Street where a massive photo shoot took place on May 22. For the shoot, Logan invited dozens of friends and family to participate, and be represented in a “crowd scene.” The mural represents his past, present and future here in New York City, telling the story of his life through the people who have touched him.

It is expected to take several weeks to complete.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Logan Hicks bringing the story of his life to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

[Updated] Logan Hicks bringing the story of his life to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Logan Hicks, known for his photorealistic stenciled paintings, will be the next artist to work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall.

According to a news release issued yesterday by landlord Goldman Properties, Hicks is scheduled to start work on his mural, titled "Story of My Life," on Monday. It is expected to take several weeks to complete.

Here's more about the piece via the release:

The Bowery Wall mural will be Hicks’ most personal piece yet. His signature architectural landscape is set on Greene Street where a massive photo shoot took place on May 22. For the shoot, Logan invited dozens of friends and family to participate, and be represented in a “crowd scene.” The mural represents his past, present and future here in New York City, telling the story of his life through the people who have touched him.

The current work by FUTURA (aka Lenny McGurr) went up last September.

Updated 12:30

Several readers have noted that the whitewashing of the wall is underway... this morning...



...and around noon...

Looking at Futura's 'Concrete Jungle' on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

FUTURA (aka Lenny McGurr) finished up work yesterday at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall … the shadows of the early evening kept us from getting a decent shot… Here are some other shots of "Concrete Jungle" via Instagram…

A photo posted by Marite Iglesias (@maritemianyc) on Sep 14, 2015 at 5:32am PDT

Futura with magnificent finished mural "Concrete Jungle" in a style reminiscent of his radical 1980 "Break" piece. #graffiti #streetart #houstonbowerywall #nyc

A photo posted by @marthacoopergram on Sep 13, 2015 at 7:39pm PDT

Mural madness today as pro BMXer Nigel Sylvester @nigelsylvester leaps over @futuradosmil at #houstonbowerywall. #bmx #streetart #graffiti #futura2000

A photo posted by @marthacoopergram on Sep 12, 2015 at 8:35pm PDT

[Updated] Graffiti legend Futura next up on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

As we noted on Tuesday, workers prepped the Houston/Bowery Wall for its next mural ... and the first sign of what's to come arrived yesterday...

BoweryBoogie hears that FUTURA (aka Lenny McGurr), the iconic graffiti artist from the 1970s, is next to work on the canvas here.

Per a profile in the Times from 2001: "In the early 1980's, he was one of the most sophisticated of the graffiti writers who moved aerosol art from the New York subway system to the embrace of the gallery world."

Also of note: In 1981, he toured with The Clash, painting live on stage as they performed throughout Europe. He also appears in the video for "This Is Radio Clash" and had other collaborations with the band.

Here's a documentary short on McGurr from 2013...



Updated 1:30 p.m.

Landlord Goldman Properties sent out a news release confirming Futura as the next wall artist. He will start tomorrow.

The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall is now a blank canvas

The Ron English mural that arrived here back in April is no more…

So long All-American Temper Tot…



We haven't heard who's scheduled next for the wall…

Giant green baby alert: All American Temper Tot arrives on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Here's a look at the all-new Houston/Bowery Mural Wall, where Ron English began work yesterday on what's he's calling All American Temper Tot…



And here is some of the official news release on the mural via wall curators Goldman Properties:

Jessica Goldman Srebnick, CEO of Goldman Properties, creators of the international outdoor street art museum, the Wynwood Walls, in Miami, has announced that Ron English will be the next artist whose work will adorn their famed Houston Bowery Wall in lower Manhattan. English joins an elite group of artists Goldman Properties has personally curated to paint one of the most sought after mural walls in the United States.

Describing his work as “Popaganda” – a mash-up of high and low cultural touchstones, from superhero mythology to totems of art history and his own original characters, English has enjoyed a successful career as a street artist as well as a fine artist. He will begin working on the Wall on Friday April 17 and the mural, entitled All American Temper Tot, is expected to be completed by Wednesday, April 22.

… and here's a photo from late yesterday afternoon via EVG contributor James Maher…



Animal NY, BoweryBoogie and Gothamist have more pics.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

The mural wall will remain on the Bowery and East Houston

Os Gêmeos: (Almost) day by day

5 years later, Os Gêmeos returning to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Peeling off the layers through the years of the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Seems like old times at the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

The newly constructed Houston/Bowery Mural Wall returned to view yesterday afternoon, as BoweryBoogie pointed out this morning.

Starting tomorrow, Animal NY noted that POPaganda painter Ron English will begin a new mural that will look something like…

Ahead of that, Graffiti writer HOUND left behind a message on the wall.

Meanwhile, construction of a two-story building continues adjacent to the wall…

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

The mural wall will remain on the Bowery and East Houston

Os Gêmeos: (Almost) day by day

5 years later, Os Gêmeos returning to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Peeling off the layers through the years of the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

The Os Gêmeos mural returns to view on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Late this afternoon, the protective covering on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall came down… to re-reveal the mural from 2009 by the twin brothers and street artists from Brazil.

The mural will stay in view for an undetermined amount of time while construction continues at the new two-floor building rising next door here on East Houston.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

The mural wall will remain on the Bowery and East Houston

Os Gêmeos: (Almost) day by day

5 years later, Os Gêmeos returning to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

5 years later, Os Gêmeos returning to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

[EVG photo from July]

While construction continues on the new two-floor building that will rise from the former home of Billy's Antiques on East Houston and Elizabeth, the adjacent Houston/Bowery Mural Wall makes a return next week.

Yesterday, Goldman Properties, the property owner and curator of the wall, issued a news release saying that the currently covered mural will be unveiled again this coming Tuesday at 5 p.m.

In July, workers trashed the makeshift canvas that covered the wall. What remained, though, was the original wall with the mural from 2009 by Os Gêmeos, the twin brothers and street artists from Brazil. This was the first mural that Goldman commissioned for the space.



Previously on EV Grieve:
The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

The mural wall will remain on the Bowery and East Houston

Os Gêmeos: (Almost) day by day

The mural wall will remain on the Bowery and East Houston

[EVG photo from June 27]

Workers erected a sidewalk bridge around the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall in late June, as we first reported here.

This was done ahead of a new two-floor building that will rise from the former home of Billy's Antiques on East Houston and Elizabeth.

We were unsure what this meant for the mural, which dates back 30-plus years to Keith Haring.

Renderings of the new building showed the mural still in place.

However, on Tuesday, we noticed that workers had started ripping down Cope 2's mural ...





By yesterday afternoon, the mural had been removed and hauled off. And then workers started wrapping up the rest of the mural wall...









Through the handy blogger portal we spotted photographer Martha Cooper, who has chronicled subway graffiti and urban art for several decades. She was taking photos of the work in progress as well as salvaging what she could of Cope 2's mural.



We spoke with her briefly. Here's how we understand it. What remains is the original wall with the mural from 2009 by Os Gêmeos, the twin brothers and street artists from Brazil. This work was apparently the favorite of Tony Goldman, the curator of the wall and property owner who died in September 2012. Subsequent artists painted over a temporary canvas, the one which workers just removed.

Cooper seemed pleased to say that the mural wall would remain adjacent to the new building.

Previously on EV Grieve:
The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

Rendering reveal for new building going up adjacent to the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

[EVG photo from Saturday]

As we first reported back on Saturday, workers erected a sidewalk bridge along the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall … obscuring the artwork in the process.

Approved plans call for a two-story structure to rise from the empty lot adjacent to the wall at 76 E. Houston St. and Elizabeth Street, which previously housed Billy's Antiques.

Renderings arrived on the sidewalk bridge Tuesday …





And from the looks of things, the mural wall will remain intact.



Meanwhile, through a handy blogging portal, you can still catch a glimpse of veteran Bronx graffiti artist Cope2's mural.



This does make it tough for wedding photos, unfortunately. Plan accordingly!


[EVG photo from June 21]

Previously on EV Grieve:
Deal off to bring Crif Dogs to the former Billy's Antiques space

The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

Weekend recap: The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

In case you missed this post from Saturday... find it here.

The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall has been boarded up

Workers yesterday erected a sidewalk bridge along the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall, mostly blocking the work of the current artist in the rotation — veteran Bronx graffiti artist Cope2.

The bridge joins the section that went up on Elizabeth Street at East Houston late last month at the former site of Billy's Antiques.

As BoweryBoogie first reported in April, there are approved plans for a two-story structure to rise from this empty lot.

Goldman Properties owns 76 E. Houston St. and the adjacent graffiti wall.





BoweryBoogie uncovered a feasibility study performed by Gary H. Silver Architects showing one possibility for this corner where the mural currently stands — a 12-story building. (This rendering is no longer on the Silver website.)


[Rendering by Gary H. Silver Architects via BoweryBoogie]

There's nothing on file with the DOB to suggest any new building of this size here.



So it's unclear at this point what the future holds for the wall. In the short term, it doesn't look so good.

Keith Haring put up the first mural here 30-plus years ago. Read this post at Complex for more history of the wall here at East Houston and the Bowery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Deal off to bring Crif Dogs to the former Billy's Antiques space

Peeling off the layers through the years of the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

Over at the NYPL Labs blog, Brian Roos had some fun playing around with the Google Street View archive.

Roos, a New York Public Library developer, used the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall to experiment with ... gathering all of the murals that Google captured to 2007, then filling in any of the missing artwork. He created a brush tool that allowed him to "erase" each layer to reveal the one previous to it ... and in the above image, he cut holes on each layer of the murals for a rather disorienting effect.

For a better explanation of all this, head over to the NYPL Labs for more... and see what other ideas Roos has for the layering tool.

Thanks to @seancarlson for the tip.

A look at Cope2's work on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall

[Click on image for more detail]

From this afternoon … where veteran Bronx graffiti artist Cope2 has been working on the Houston/Bowery Mural Wall …

Read more about this at Gothamist … Complex … Animal NY … and BoweryBoogie.

The Houston/Bowery Mural Wall gets 1st celebrity endorsement

As long as you consider Lindsey Lohan a celebrity. Via her Instagram account this past week.

Maya Hayuk's criss-crossy mural is currently on the wall.

[H/T Marjorie Ingall]