Conserving a Chicago Landmark: Vivian Maier
On the 1600 block of West North Avenue stands a larger than life mural of Chicago photographer Vivian Maier, curated by Beauty & Brawn Gallery, that was recently vandalized with a graffiti tag. Maier was a street photographer working primarily in the North Shore, but her work only came to light after her death. Two years before she died, Maier fell behind on payments on a rented storage space, and her negatives and film were auctioned as a result. Two years later, her work became a viral phenomenon when a collector put her work on Flickr.
Such a phenomena was the perfect subject matter for Brazilian street artist Kobra, who specializes in kaleidoscopic portraits painted as murals on public view.
His style is distinctive:
“The technique of repeating squares and triangles allows him to bring to life the famous people he depicts in his images. This checkered pattern, filled with different textures, lines, and shading, builds up to Eduardo Kobra's final masterpiece, a larger than life mural for all to see and marvel at. [His] ability to achieve photorealism while maintaining his playful, color theme is fantastic, making for a striking contrast against the setting it is placed in. Specifically, his cunning use of brushes, airbrush, and spray cans serve as a means of bringing to life notable figures from the past, emphasizing their true dignified nature and beauty. You can't help but feel a sense of nostalgia while looking at his creations, taking you back to a time when those individuals existed. The ability to recreate art that taps into individuals and eras past is a truly gift given to Kobra that is purely remarkable.”
The tagged mural, prior to receiving treatment.
When Wicker Park’s beloved Maier mural was “tagged” with a graffiti marking, the homeowner and the community were distraught. The Center’s Painting Department was quickly brought in to assess the damage and recover the work – time was of the essence, because it was only a matter of time before the mural would be vandalized again, or painted over by the city.
Aromatic solvents dissolved the graffiti.
First, the painting was examined on site to assess the damage. It was tagged with turquoise colored spray paint lettering, in the relative center of the exterior wall. The mural itself was executed on the entire exterior side of the wall with a spray applied exterior eggshell paint, on manufactured wood grain textured siding.
Our conservators used an industry-grade aromatic solvent, and were able to remove the spray paint with cotton swabs without disturbing the paint film underneath. The process took far less time than we had initially expected, much to everyone’s relief. The Center was thrilled to be a part of protecting this community treasure and an important part of Chicago’s history.
