When it comes to murals, Los Angeles has their fair share of impressive pieces. All across the L.A. area you’ll find murals and East Los Angeles is no different. With its rich history, murals gave voice to the people of the area. Check out some of these murals in East LA and the surrounding areas.
The Great Wall of Los Angeles is an incredible, half mile stretch of mural that tells the story of California. Specifically, the time frame is from prehistory up until the 1950s. Containing a series of chronologically ordered murals, it begins with the dinosaurs and marks California’s history up until the Baby Boom. The mural was started in 1974 and took over 5 summers to complete. You’ll find this impressive mural at 12920 W. Oxnard Street in Valley Glen.
A collaborative effort in 2012 brought together famed graffiti artists and muralists such as Will Herrón III, Ernesto de la Loza, Carlos Callejo, Fabian Debora, Juan Carlos Munoz, Raul Gonzalez and more to create something beautiful. These group of artists wanted to pay homas to David Alfaro Siqueiros, a Mexican social realist painter who was specifically known for his large murals. The result was the colorful piece, Siqueiros: La Voz De La Gente!, which means, Siqueiros: Voice of the People. You’ll find the mural in an alley right off of La Cienega in Culver city at 22631 ½ Cullen St.
Speaking of David Alfaro Siqueiros, come and see an original piece entitled America Tropical that was created in 1932. The original piece showed a mural of a Mexican Indian crucified on a cross beneath an American eagle, with two men with guns aiming at the eagle off to the side. The mural was a political message about the exploitation of Mexican workers caused controversy and just 5 years later it was whitewashed. The Getty Conservation Institute restored the original mural and in now open to the public. You’ll find this at 125 Paseo De La Plaza in LA.
