CINCINNATI – It was hidden away for decades, but a cherished piece of Cincinnati history is seeing the light.
As part of a $5 million Duke Energy Convention Center upgrade, a 1970 mural created by artist Charley Harper has been carefully uncovered and meticulously restored.
Harper was one of Cincinnati’s first notable public artists. His murals and posters helped form the Queen City’s public art movement and love for murals.
Harper attended and taught at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, and later established a “minimal realism” style that would serve as inspiration to countless contemporary artists and art fans around the world.
In 1970, Harper was commissioned to create an abstract constellation made up of 30,000 tiles inspired by Neil Armstrong’s first historic steps on the moon. The mural was called “Space Walk.”
During a Convention Center renovation in 1987, the mural was covered and hidden away. Harper died in 2007. His mural remained hidden.
Until now.
The mural, estimated to be worth $1 million and in good condition, is again available to be enjoyed at the convention center thanks to a partnership between the City of Cincinnati, Duke Energy Convention Center and the Charley Harper Estate.
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