Ron Paul Street Art Removed by City
The piece was part of a larger effort to spark interest in the GOP presidential contender.
Photos
A pop-art portrait of Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul that was spotted on Rodeo Drive this week has been removed.
Seen Monday affixed to the base of the Robert Graham sculpture Torso at North Rodeo Drive and Dayton Way, the colorful artwork was taken down Tuesday by Beverly Hills staff. The Torso sculpture is owned by the city.
“Our Public Works department has it,” Beverly Hills spokeswoman Therese Kosterman said. “It did initially leave marks on the [sculpture] base from the double-sided tape, which took considerable time for our staff to remove in a manner that would not cause any damage.”
No police report had been made about the street art, according to Beverly Hills Police Department Watch Commander Lt. Mike Hill.
A 3 ft. x 2 ft. spray-paint stencil on wood, the creation included a card that attributed the piece to “Urbin Alchemist,” with the title Consistency.
“We're huge supporters of Paul,” Urbin Alchemist manager Andrew Burke said. “We wanted to give him a cooler image and see what people think.”
The Urbin Alchemist crew put up more than a dozen other Ron Paul portraits late Sunday night throughout the Los Angeles area in places with high foot traffic.
“Our intent is to build and maintain some steam and energy about Paul, and get people to want to find out more about him,” Burke said. “We are talking to Ron Paul’s campaign to see if they want to use the painting. If not, we might do T-shirts and buttons.”
Patch’s original reporting on the portrait was posted on Paul’s website.
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Tim Cavanaugh
12:58 pm on Saturday, January 7, 2012
do you wanna know why ron pauls bills rarely get passed? because they benefit the american people......
http://www.oneangryman.com/ken/2012/01/ron-pauls-legislative-bills-left-in-committee/
Mele Gaunt
4:06 pm on Sunday, January 8, 2012
“It did initially leave marks on the [sculpture] base from the double-sided tape, which took considerable time for our staff to remove in a manner that would not cause any damage.”
Yeah, double sided tape can really do a number on solid rock.
Fu Wzhe
9:22 pm on Sunday, January 8, 2012
Yes, water soluble adhesive can cause buildings to collapse. It is basically thermite with a very slow reaction time. It's much worse than rain, wind erosion, acid rain, etc.
Fu Wzhe
9:07 pm on Sunday, January 8, 2012
Remember people, public places are exclusively for government use, not the public.
The government will represent what you want to express and say. The government determines what is in your best interest for you to say and to hear. The government is your friend.