A U.S. Army veteran is racing to restore a 46-year-old mural he created at the Culver City DMV office after it was painted over.
David Botello’s Moonscapes mural has been a fixture at the office for nearly half a century. It depicts an image of astronauts on the moon, with one facing forward and three others on a table in the background.
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WATCH HEREFor the artist, completing the project was a highlight in his career. In February, however, Botello was disheartened to learn that a crew had begun to paint over his mural.
“It was a dream come true,” Botello said. “Here we are on the west side of LA. You could say we’re Chicano artists; our subject matter was always cultural.”
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SIGN UP The Department of Motor Vehicles said it decided to paint over the artwork due to graffiti and deteriorating wood. The department may have violated the California Art Preservation Act in the process, however.
The act requires property owners to notify the artist before removing or destroying their artwork. It also requires them to give artists 90 days to take action. Botello said he wasn’t given any sort of communication that his mural would be taken down.
The DMV said in a statement that it “attempted to locate information on the mural, its artists and the organization(s) responsible for the mural, with no success. The DMV is now engaged with the artist about restoring some or all of the mural.”
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After learning about the department’s intention, he called the office and convinced them to stop repainting over his work. It then left the parking lot façade intact.
“He wants to make amends and he said, ‘We’re not going to paint over that wall, don’t worry about it,’” Botello said.
At 78 years old, the veteran now has a new mission – to work with a restoration artist so that his piece can live on.
