Monday, June 16, 2014

XL Center Murals


This is one of the entrances to the XL Center, where pro hockey, UConn basketball, the circus, Disney shows and other events are held.  But, it is aging.  $35 million in renovations will start soon.

These huge murals from the 1960s are by Harlem Renaissance artist Romare Bearden.
They don't fit with the renovations, so they have to go.
An appraisal came back recently, valuing them at $4.2 million, shocking everyone.
They are being moved to the Hartford Public Library.

Linked to Monday Murals.

While we are on the subject of huge murals, here is The Princess of the Dream
a room-size 1896 mural by M. A. Vrubel in Moscow's Tretyakov Gallery.


14 comments:

  1. A worldwide appreciation for murals. . .well, we have some things in common!

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  2. The appraisal has also shocked me!

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  3. Love the murals in the first shot.

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  4. holy moly! i really like them though, very vibrant!

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  5. Thank goodness they are being saved.

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  6. I'm so glad they're being saved, too!! Great captures for the day, Jack, as always!! Hmmmm $4.2 million, huh!!! WOW!!

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  7. They will look good in the library!

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  8. THAT much? Geesh. That would go a long way towards the renovation, I imagine, though I guess they won't be allowed to sell them.

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  9. Wow! Good that they had Bearden's murals appraised & I'm glad it's shown to have value.
    The Princess of the Dream is lovely.

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  10. I didn't know Bearden did murals. I think they're fantastic and thought they were by Stuart Davis or someone like that. How will they remove and relocate them? Tells us if you find out. The mechanics of that process fascinate me. Thanks for contributing to this week's Monday Mural.

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  11. I think I prefer the second mural, but it's good that the first will live on in library space.

    I'm assuming the XL Centre name is yet another one of those tacky corporate branding rights things that infest too many buildings these days.

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