{"id":273339,"date":"2025-11-05T16:17:14","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T16:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/273339\/"},"modified":"2025-11-05T16:17:14","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T16:17:14","slug":"a-wall-with-a-past-lady-pink-adds-her-mark-to-the-ever-changing-face-of-9th-avenue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/273339\/","title":{"rendered":"A Wall with a Past \u2014 Lady Pink Adds Her Mark to the Ever-Changing Face of 9th Avenue"},"content":{"rendered":"

A fresh mural from graffiti legend Lady Pink now covers the side of Kiehl\u2019s at 9th Avenue and W47th Street \u2014 replacing a fading, decades-old piece by beloved French cartoonist Jean-Jacques Semp\u00e9<\/a>, whose whimsical cyclist had long been part of the block\u2019s charm.<\/p>\n

\"\"Graffiti artist Lady Pink put her mark above the Kiehl\u2019s shop on 9th Avenue as part of their Holiday Joy Fest. Photo: Catie Savage<\/p>\n

Before her vibrant work took shape, the wall carried a quieter piece of neighborhood history. In 1985, when the building housed the bicycle shop Metro Midtown, Semp\u00e9 \u2014 beloved for his New Yorker covers \u2014 was commissioned to paint a mural of a man pedaling through the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was rendered in the delicate, humorous style that made Semp\u00e9 famous, and mirrored both the shop\u2019s trade and his signature view of small figures dwarfed by urban life. Over the decades, the paint peeled and faded, the rider slowly disappearing into the brick. Even the metal bicycle emblem that was once embedded in the sidewalk outside the entrance was removed recently, as work to replace wheelchair ramps along the block has reshaped the corner\u2019s look.<\/p>\n

\"\"The new mural covered one by French cartoonist Jean-Jacques Semp\u00e9 that was commissioned for Metro Midtown bike shop in 1985. Photo: Phil O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Now, nearly 40 years later, Lady Pink\u2019s mural covers what remained of that fading image \u2014 layering her bold, joy-filled color over Semp\u00e9\u2019s ghostly outlines and adding a new chapter to the wall\u2019s long artistic life.<\/p>\n

A pioneer of New York\u2019s 1980s graffiti movement, Lady Pink<\/a> (born Sandra Fabara in Ecuador) began painting subway cars at 15 and went on to exhibit internationally, with work now held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Whitney and Brooklyn Museum.<\/p>\n

Commissioned by Kiehl\u2019s, the new mural turns the side of the skincare shop into a bright canvas of movement and energy. Lady Pink supervised the work from street level as her husband, fellow graffiti artist SMITH, and studio assistant Matt painted.<\/p>\n

\"Lady\u201cFirst Lady of Graffiti\u201d Lady Pink in front of her mural above Kiehl\u2019s on 9th Avenue. Photo: Catie Savage<\/p>\n

Though she\u2019s long since traded New York for a quieter life upstate, Lady Pink still returns for special commissions that connect her to the city\u2019s streets. \u201cI started painting subway cars in \u201979,\u201d she said. \u201cBack then, it was about claiming space \u2014 saying we exist. Now I get to share that same energy in places that welcome it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kiehl\u2019s received permission from the building\u2019s owner to repaint the long weathered wall, with the company describing the project as a celebration of creativity and community ahead of the holidays. The mural came together in just one day, with Lady Pink\u2019s team working from morning to night to complete the large-scale piece.<\/p>\n

The mural coincides with Kiehl\u2019s Holiday Joy Fest, a pop-up event taking place at the 9th Avenue shop<\/a> this weekend. Alongside the outdoor installation, the event will feature hand-painted customizations by artist SAM<\/a>, complimentary DermaReader skin consultations, and treats from ROYCE\u2019 Chocolate. A live DJ will round out the festivities \u2014 part product pop-up, part neighborhood hangout.<\/p>\n

Visitors will also find a limited-edition display designed by Lady Pink herself \u2014 filled with dozens of products painted and signed to create one complete mural. \u201cEven as they take the products, I painted inside the shelf so it doesn\u2019t look like crap,\u201d she revealed.<\/p>\n

Though her primary focus is now on gallery and museum work, Lady Pink still takes on commissions. \u201cWe do all kinds of projects \u2014 exhibits, private commissions, commercial commissions,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019ve got a small crew I\u2019ve trained for years. When something special like this comes up, we do it together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LadyLady Pink took a ride in the lift to check out the work on Monday afternoon. Photo: Catie Savage<\/p>\n

While taking photos of the completed mural, a longtime W47th Street resident told us they understood the impulse to refresh the wall but still felt the loss of what came before. \u201cYou respect the artistry of the old school,\u201d they said. \u201cThat mural was part of the neighborhood fabric and now it\u2019s covered forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMurals are living things,\u201d said Lady Pink. \u201cThey fade, they chip, they get painted over. That\u2019s not a bad thing \u2014 it\u2019s part of the rhythm of the city.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t