Mount Rushmore of Art

This weekend has been grey and rainy in New York, which made Eduardo Kobra’s mural in the West Village stand out even more. Amidst the usual city soundtrack of construction, traffic, and the occasional fire alarm, it felt like an invitation to pause for a second.

The mural features Andy Warhol, Frida Kahlo, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and a masked figure who might represent today’s street artists. Kobra is known for transforming entire buildings into kaleidoscopic portraits, and portraying themes of freedom, equality and peace.

Most of these featured artists were rebels in their time. One thing that ties them together is how each, in their own way, challenged the rules of art—and ended up reshaping culture far beyond galleries and museums.

Now they’re practically establishment, sold in auction houses and featured in luxury ad campaigns. A reminder that what’s edgy today might just be tomorrow’s classic.

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