Michael Jackson mural at 18th and Troost is gone

[Selene]

This is in Kansas City,I think.Such a shame..:sad:

The king of pop no longer graces the corner of 18th and Troost. Alexander Austin, also known as "Mural Man," painted a tribute to Michael Jackson after his death in 2009. We spoke to Austin about how his mural no longer exists, and what happened to it:

"First of all, thanks for the interest and thanks to The Pitch for following my work over the years. The mural was painted as a tribute to MJ after I had heard of his passing. Words cannot express the magnitude and the sheer genius of his work, and the millions of people he touched all over the world.
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I invited local fans to show their love and appreciation for his music by signing the mural. There were over a thousand signatures on the wall, and some of those people came from all over, some driving for hours to pay their last respects and sign the wall the day of his birthday. We had a great time listening to his music celebrating his birthday. It was a bittersweet day that none of us will ever forget. As I do with all my work, I put my heart and my soul into every painting, and any artist will tell you that the worst nightmare of all is to have your work destroyed.

I am not angry but disappointed that I wasn't told that it was being removed. People were e-mailing me and calling, wanting an explanation, and I didn't know what to tell them except someone else had bought the building. And that's all I can say.I only wanted to address the fans and to say thanks to the previous owners and Damon L. Patterson for letting us use the space, and letting the fans of MJ pay their final respects. I wish the new owners of the property all the best. No love lost.
R.I.P. KING OF POP! Thanks for the magic."
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http://blogs.pitch.com/wayward/2011/01/michael_jackson_mural_is_gone.php

 

[xthunderx2]

ohh..how sad..it is beautiful too....this man is very talented. Thank you for posting this.

 

[Alma]

That mural was simply awesome, wow. 0_0

 

[GinnyJackson]

its sad that he spent all that time creating it for someone to come in later and just paint over it or remove it all together. I would be pissed off.

 

[~Lindsey~]

Its a great piece of work that has cultural significance which makes it such a shame that it is being destroyed. It would have been decent for the artist to be informed. I bet another business would do anything for their store to become a unique talking piece like that. Lets hope things like this don't stop other artists.

 

[MJ~And~Me]

they should have let him keep the painting :sad:

 

[AllForLove]

Very sad it's a real piece of art ! it must be heartbreaking for the artist to see his art fade away like this

 

[Ashtanga]

Sad...

 

[mjlovergurl003]

wow. what a beatiful work of art. what a heartbreaking thing for someone to just buy the building and paint over it. such a shame. i wish i would have been able to see it in person and pay my final respects to michael. at least it was around for a good long while and fans got to gather and celebrate michael together.

 

[Selene]

It was a really cool mural,a work of art,like you've all said.The man has talent and his reaction was very gracious too.What also touched me was the emotional & cultural significance of fans signing their tributes and love on it.I think that's beautiful by itself.
Here are some of their messages :
http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2009/09/fans_leave_their_own_tributes.php

And a video from the b-day celebration :