Graffiti artist Solomon Souza, known for his spray paint art on shop shutters in Israel’s Mahane Yehuda market, has brought his colorful street art to Crown Heights.
This week, Souza painted a large portrait of the Alter Rebbe, the founder of Chabad Chassidus, on the brick wall of the Primo Hatters shop on Kingston Avenue between Montgomery and Crown Streets.
The London-born artist has been doing spray paint art since the age of 15, and his portraits take 2 – 4 hours to complete. His subjects include personalities such as Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Menachem Begin, David Ben-Gurion and dozens of Rabbinical figures including Mordechai Eliyahu, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Yitzhak Kaduri, and Maimonides.
Souza hopes to continue the Crown Heights project with additional Chabad Rebbeim in the near future, Mendy Sacho of Primo told COLlive.
Video:
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Interview with Solomon Souza at Leviim Art Gallery
theres going to be art on the streets anyway, might as well be beautiful and holy
It is a beautiful painting of the Alter Rabbi, but you are always going to have people that have nothing nice to say but complain
At this point in golus we need this to give us koach! My young daughter looks forward to seeing this picture every morning on her walk to school
The Rebbe Is smiling!
the Rebbe did not allow postage stamps because people would lick them. no one in their right mind is licking the backside of this wall.
to all those that think this art is great, i ask would you put a painting of your father on a ally wall?! ad mosiy gevald gevald!
Looking forward to more.
Keep up the good work!
especially to #22; Maybe this painting will inspire not only Yidden to live higher, but will cause a feeling of awe and repentance to the possible anti-semites.
The only thing that upset me the last time a similiar picture was put up, was that I read that garbage was placed closeby,
in that case it’s a Shaila for a Chassidishe Rov.
Great comment # 14
BECAUSE ITS DISRESPECTFUL.
WHATS THE DIFFERENCE?
what an inspiring modern way of commemorating such an amazing man
I think the same way we hang pictures of our Rabaim in our houses, it’s more then ok to have pictures/paintings of our Rabiam displayed around our community.
To the commentators that say the alter rebbe would be upset – I think, and this is just my opinion, he would have more to say about us chassidim spending our free time on collive commenting then to someone who found a way to express his respect and honor for those that inspire him
It’s Graffiti and does not belong on any wall.
I can’t understand why someone is ok with having Jews pay over $20,000 for a piece of art work of the rabbeim, but here someone does it for free and you complain?
It’s time for the CH Farmers to wake up and get a life!
but i don’t think the Alter Rebbe was blue, he was besimcha!
Why do we have to copy the goyim & go with this “hipster” nonsense? Graffiti is graffiti no matter the subject matter & even if it was “commissioned” by Primo, does this guy think he’s Banksy?
How long before it’s defaced?
Didn’t he do a painting in chevron of the Rebbe? Really cool one.
In Israel these things are very regular and pretty. I guess it’s not as accepted in the US.
busha vecherpa! in the rebbes shcuna! its a zilzul in our holy rabbeyim! the person responsable should take it off
Great talent
I read all the arguments and I have one simple question,
Can you guarantee that a dog will not relieve itself on that very holy face? No you can’t, I rest my case.
There are plenty of paintings or the Rebbeim, but this one is the best.
I’m not sure why anyone thinks the Rebbe wouldn’t like it, that’s not based on anything.
The antisemites will have a perfect excuse to vandalize this painting, with swastikas and racial slurs. Don’t give the chayes another reason to destroy our neighborhood
Rebbe refused to have roads named Schneerson because he said that the name Schneerson should not be on the streets, but I guess the picture of Schneerson is ok on the walls of allies…huh?
Amazing work by a special soul!
Let the haters hate and even if it does get painted over, there will always be pictures of it!
It will never be erased from history!
Well done Sunny
Munch x
is nothing sacred any more???
Not what the Alter Rebbe would have wanted.
There are many other ways to add color to Crown Heights streets, in a Chasidish way too.
Tear down this wall!
Amazing Art Work.
It’s a disgrace to the Alter Rebbe.
To those thay say it’s disrespectful to the heilige face of the Alter Rebbe, remember the words of the Alter Rebbe himself when the Toldos found chassidus lying on the ground!
If the crown jewels can be ground into powder and spilled on the floor to save the Aibishter’s ben yachid, If it will inspire even one neshama we can spray paint the Alter Rebbe on the wall in blue.
Nisht nor megt men, MUZ men!
Why is it more respectful for shops to sell picturus of the alter rebbe and make money off him then to do a painting of the alter rebbe (it’s not graffiti) and make no money off it you people have sense of life your closed minded uneducated ****
What a talent! Beautiful painting!
Just imagaine if it was before tammuz…
I think being chabad we should be more open minded I find the art amazing
There’s always going to be that disagreement between the young and the old of ch. both sides have what to offer and to learn from each other!
I just love walking down Kingston Ave and seeing the face of the Alter Rebbe
Thank you to whoever arranged this. There is enough shmutz out there all over the place, on every bus stop, the subway station, billboards, etc. we need something kosher to be available.
“Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Menachem Begin, David Ben-Gurion and dozens of Rabbinical figures including Mordechai Eliyahu, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Yitzhak Kaduri, and Maimonides.”
Oy.
When someone painted a picture of the rebbe on a wall in the street the article got over 100 comments if it’s a problem or not
Let the comments begin
What a zilzul of a Alter Rebbe. I wish someone would erase it.
BS”D It’s a shame that it will be vandalized as the others were
The faces of our rabbaim are not art!
They are holy!
Shame to see it come to this.
Amazing art!