Leo Tanguma‘s 240-ft.-long, 70-character 1973 mural slowly peeling from the southern facade of the former Continental Can Company warehouse in the East End (pictured above in 2013) was whitewashed over the summer. Mario Enrique Figueroa Jr. — better known to Houstonians as Gonzo247 — is now hard at work on the Chicano-art landmark’s replacement: creating with a small crew a mural of the same name, size, location, characters, and intention. These recent photos show the progress so far:
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The new Rebirth of Our Nationality will have brighter colors than the original, which Tanguma created with 100 gallons of donated housepaint.
Tanguma, a by-now longtime resident of Denver, is involved with the redo, according to the Chronicle‘s Molly Glentzer: “At 75, he finds it hard to climb towering scaffolds and scissor lifts,” she writes. “Still, he signed on to the project with the condition that someone else would recreate the painting, with his guidance.”
The $70,000 project is part of Harris County’s $8 million renovation of the facility at 5900 Canal St., which is set to become a combo records-storage warehouse and constable station for Precinct 6.
- Aerosol artist Gonzo to re-create one of Houston’s iconic murals [Houston Chronicle]
- Leo Tanguma, the muralist Houston forgot [Houston Chronicle]
Photos: John Atkinson
