Eduardo Kobra — Painting the 7 in New York
Eduardo Kobra — Painting the Seven in New York
At the age of 12, he was already painting walls in the city of São Paulo, where he was born. In the 90s, he became a professional graffiti artist and then gained international recognition as a muralist.
When he was elected Personality of the Year in 2018 by Time Out, an American magazine that covers art, culture, entertainment, and travel, Eduardo Kobra was already a Citizen of the World, with over 3,000 murals on five continents.
The creator of the "Mother Nature" mural celebrating the 75th anniversary of the UN, he also pays tribute to important figures and themes in society, such as Nelson Mandela, Anne Frank, Martin Luther King Jr., peace, tolerance, and nature.
Kobra's style and colors are easily recognizable in his works. His art has spread across Brazil and more than 40 countries. In the United States, New York City boasts the highest number of the artist's murals, which are visited by locals and tourists every year.
Here are some of the great Brazilian muralist's works in New York:
1. "Black or White": A tribute to Michael Jackson, depicting two phases of the singer's life, one young and black and the other older and white.
- Location: 180 1st Avenue, Manhattan.
2. "Stop Guns": A manifesto against gun violence, portraying a boy taking a selfie with a gun in a classroom.
- Location: 231 Eldridge Street.
3. "Peace Through Liberty": A portrait of the New York artist Roy Lichtenstein, with cloud-shaped balloons, wishing for peace.
- Location: 221E 44th Street.
4. "War Is Hell": A critique of global conflicts, featuring Elvis Presley in military attire with the phrase "War is Hell" on his helmet.
- Location: 219 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn.
5. "Tolerance": A message of respect and dialogue among religions, uniting Mother Teresa and Gandhi in prayer.
- Location: 130 10th Avenue with 18th Street, Manhattan.
6. "We love NY 2": A playful take on Albert Einstein's Theory of Relativity, turning it into an expression of love for New York.
- Location: 212 8th Avenue.
7. "The Braves of 9/11": A tribute to the firefighters who worked in the rescue efforts of the September 11 attacks, inspired by a photo of a kneeling and bowed firefighter.
- Location: 780 3rd Avenue, Manhattan.
8. "Mother Nature": A mural at the UN headquarters in New York celebrating the organization's 75th anniversary and depicting a father and daughter holding the planet Earth. The mural was unveiled in 2022 and is the first by a Brazilian artist on the UN's façade.
- Location: 760 United Nations Plaza, NY 10017.
9. "Mount Rushmore of Art": A reinterpretation of the famous American monument, replacing the presidents with renowned artists: Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, and Keith Haring.
- Location: 10th Avenue and 22nd Street, Manhattan.
10. "Genius is to Bike Ride": Celebrating the use of bicycles as a sustainable means of transportation, featuring personalities who used or use bicycles, such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, John Lennon, and Amy Winehouse.
- Location: 776 – 3rd St Brooklyn.
11. "Frida Kahlo": A portrait of the Mexican artist couple Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera with elements of Mexican culture.
- Location: 360 Prospect Place, Brooklyn.
12. "Fight for Street Art": A tribute to the pioneers of street art in New York, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, and Andy Warhol. The painting is an attempt to fight for the existence of street art.
- Location: 147 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn.
Davilmar Santos
October 29, 202
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