Speaking of 'Best Of', this is M&F's favorite graffiti mural of all time. Long time followers of the blog probably remember, but this wall has a storied history.
The mural first popped up on Fairfax a couple of years ago. The wall showcased traditional graffiti burner pieces from some of the top graffiti artists and biggest names in the entire world all set against the impeccable background of Retna's hieroglyphic lettering. Everyone should recognize the artist's names who painted on this wall including LA's own MSK members Retna, Revok, Rime, Norm and Saber, as well as a piece from the amazingly talented Brazilian twin duo, Os Gemeos. Like icing on the cake, the yellow trim of the building and window frames makes the wall pop like no other.
This wall is an incredible piece of art on its own, but it took on a life of its own in the spring of 2011 when a private contractor hired by the city of LA to buff graffiti broke into this fenced yard by removing the gate from its hinges. They then began painting over this mural, and they buffed over the entire left hand side by the time the building owner showed up and called the cops on the tresspassing buffman. The owner
wanted the graffiti on the wall, and was pissed off by the unsanctioned buffing. M&F captured the ordeal
with a post entitled 'Oh Shit! Now You Fucked Up!'.
Threats of lawsuits inspired the city to try and right the wrong, and the buff team was sent back to the same spot a day later to paint back over their buff with paint removing paint. M&F got
exclusive action shots of the buffman buffing himself, and those following the drama were skeptical that this plan would work.
However, the removal of the buff paint did work, for the most part, and the original graffiti mural has returned. Its a bit faded, but still riding.
So, not only is this one of the coolest looking murals ever, but it also has one of the coolest stories of any graffiti mural anywhere. Here is a closer look at the mural, beginning with full shots and close-ups of Rime's character pieces.
Dig it. Stay up~
