Businessman Dan Gilbert is commissioning what promises to be the world’s tallest mural on the side of his First National Building in downtown Detroit.
The mural by New York-based artists How & Nosm will measure 354 feet high and about 80 feet wide, according to Robin Schwartz, a spokewoman for Gilbert’s Bedrock Real Estate Services, an arm of his Rock Ventures/Quicken Loans network of firms.
Work could begin in about a month. Anthony Curis of the Library Street Collective arts group, which is helping coordinate the project, said the design will not be revealed in advance but will pay tribute to a mural that formerly graced the side of the First National Building.
That mural was created in the 1970s by Detroit native Alvin Loving Jr. and depicted geometric forms in a style popular in the day. The mural was removed in a building renovation in 1989.
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How & Nosm is the artistic name used by brothers Raoul and Davide Perre, identical twins known for their large scale graffiti-based murals that can be seen in urban locations in many countries, including at Gilbert’s Z Garage in downtown Detroit. Born in Spain, the brothers are German in heritage and currently reside in New York.
Curis said work is expected to begin on the mural in a month or so.
The First National Building at 660 Woodward Avenue was designed by famed architect Albert Kahn and remains home to many prominent office tenants.