Muralists seek to preserve the city’s murals
By Chine Labbe November 4, 2009
Photo credit: Chine Labbe
In El Barrio, wall painting is a lasting art form. The Spirit of East Harlem, at the southeast corner of East 104th Street and Lexington Avenue, has been in the community for more than 30 years. An ode to the neighborhood’s day-to-day lifestyle, it covers the entire façade of a building and depicts local people playing chess, chatting and taking care of their children, among other activities. “It is one of the great landmark murals of New York City,” muralist Janet Braun-Reinitz said. “I don’t know if the world has mural masterpieces, but The Spirit of (East) Harlem comes close,” local artist Manuel Vega said.
