Ron Paul Street Art Removed by City

A 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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