Cal Trans Sued for Mural Destruction ~ 101 Freeway
LA Now alerts us that:
Frank Romero, a noted muralist and pioneering Chicano painter, is suing Caltrans for painting over a mural he created along the Hollywood Freeway downtown in conjunction with the 1984 Olympics.
Last year, muralist Kent Twitchell won a $1.1-million settlement against the U.S. government and others for painting over his portrait of fellow artist Ed Ruscha on a federally owned building in downtown L.A.
Romero's suit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, contends that sometime after June 1, 2007, a Caltrans work crew painted over his 102-foot-long, 20-foot-high mural, "Going to the Olympics," erasing it from a wall at Alameda Street. The episode took place, the suit says, without Romero having been given the advance notice required under a 1980 state law protecting artists' "moral rights." The notice provides 90 days for the artist to save or relocate works of public art before a building's owner can have them removed.
Romero actually repainted the mural in 2003 after it had been tagged following years of poor maintenance. CalTrans has never been known for discriminating taste in art, it appears in this case they went too far and have a legal responsibility to both restore the mural and perhaps pay restitution to the artist.
Photo Credit: Mister Goleta
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from L.A. TACO
Exclusive: Macheen and Horchatería Rio Luna to Open New School Torta Shop in Paramount
Expect a tender beef barbacoa torta served with guajillo consomé to dip, a torta ahogada de camarón (shrimp) with a yuzu avocado puree drowned in a spicy lobster stock, and a "Mexi-Italian" sandwich with panela, hot pistachio salsa macha, and mortadella. This innovative torta venture in SELA is set to open next week on Monday.
Bésame Mucho 2023 Proved It’s Officially the Best Latino Music Festival Right Now
The ticket price of Bésame Mucho may be worth it alone for the amusing, overwhelmingly positive people-watching experience, especially seeing multiple generations of Latinos dancing to the same live music many of us grew up listening to at family parties.
Who Keeps Whitewashing Boyle Heights’ Anti-Gentrification Mural?
“We’re not going to let the gentrification of Boyle Heights go under the radar," says Viva Padilla, the founder of the anti-gentrification collective who collaborated with local artist Sergio Robleto to create the Posada-inspired art. They both have their suspicions of who is responsible for it.
L.A. Mayor Warns Unhoused Not to Sleep Alone As Police Seek Killer of Three Sleeping Homeless Men
Los Angeles police are searching for a man suspected of walking up to three unhoused people this week while they slept during the early hours of the morning and shooting them to death.
Bronny James Cleared To Play Basketball Again By His Doctors
In August, the James family said that after comprehensive initial an follow-up exams, "the probable cause of Mr. James' sudden cardiac arrest has been identified. It is an anatomically and functionally significant congenital heart defect which can and will be treated.
