The CultureMap Interview

The Menil Picasso vandal answers questions, argues that museums steal from thepeople

In an artistic and political statement this summer, Houston artist UrielLanderos targeted a 1929 Picasso at the Menil Collection.
Uriel Landeros/Facebook
A cell phone video recorded Landeros spray-painting a stencil of a bullfighterand the word "conquista" onto the cubist work Women in a Red Chair.
fused00828/YouTube
Before his career as an art dealer, Tony Shafrazi spray-painted "Kill Lies All"on the Picasso masterwork Guernica.
The Saatchi Gallery
Picasso's Women in Red Chair from 1929
Photo by Hickey-Robertson, Houston
Pablo Picasso, Guernica, 1937, oil on canvas.
TheFullWiki.org

After spray-painting a 1929 Picasso at The Menil Collection in June, Uriel Landeros has been on the lam from state and federal authorities. While maintaining a low profile for more than two months, the young artist is beginning to share his thoughts on the Internet, including a fuller explanation of the motives that he posted on YouTube in late August.

CultureMap's received a detailed response from Landeros to questions. Via social media messaging, Landeros told CultureMap that his vandalism was an act driven by both politics and art, with a particular embrace of an activist philosophy seen in the Occupy movement.

Landeros says that the vandalism was an act driven by both politics and art, with a particular embrace of an activist philosophy seen in the Occupy movement.

He also discussed notions of cultural stewardship — an issue the Menil itself addressed during a public panel last November after the museum announced that its beloved Byzantine frescoes would be returning to their original owners, the Church of Cyprus.

Landeros even answered the million-dollar question about whether he felt a certain kinship with Tony Shafrazi, who spray-painted "Kill Lies All" on Picasso's Guernica in the mid 1970s before becoming a highly sought-after gallery owner.

CultureMap: As an artist, do you see your Picasso stencil primarily as an artistic act, a political act or both?

Uriel Landeros: Both, it took time and effort to organize the painting of my stencil. It was the art of being slick. Politically, because there are many people sick of the same old promises the elite government gives to the public.

And the public always loses. It's time to stand up against the machine.

CM: Do you see museums as being part of the One Percent?

UL: I love museums. I love appreciating art, but it makes me mad when I go into museums and I see archeological artifacts from different countries there. Most of those pieces have been stolen, along with the culture that the people from their origins can no longer have in their country. Being of Hispanic descent, it infuriates me and reminds me how much of our culture has been stolen and is now in Europe.

The Menil is an institution that has items with more value than money. You cannot buy archeology with money, you have to take it and steal it from someone else if you want it. That is what many museums have done with what belongs to the the public.

But many don't want to see the truth . . . It's like a blood diamond.

CM: Do you feel any connection to Tony Shafrazi's Guernica vandalism in 1974? He, of course, went on to become a mega-art dealer during the '80s boom years.

UL: Tony is a great art dealer . . . That's all I have to say.

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Get inspired

Noted Houston street artist paints vibrant new mural at downtown venue

Photo courtesy of Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

GONZO247 poses in front of his new mural, "Houston is Inspired" inside Hobby Center

Visitors to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts can now see an incredible new mural by one of Houston's most iconic street artists.Mario Enrique Figueroa, Jr., known as Gonzo247, debuted his piece, "Houston is Inspired" on Friday, December 12.

“This piece is all about capturing the energy that makes Houston, Houston," said the artist in a statement. "It’s that raw, vibrant hustle — the music, the culture, the stories we’ve been telling for generations. I wanted to create something that pulls people in, gets them hyped for what they’re about to experience. Every color, every shape, every detail is telling a story, a vibe. This ain’t just a mural or a piece of art — it’s a journey. It's about the grind, the growth, and the inspiration we pass on to each other, on and off the stage.”

The piece is called "Houston is Inspired," after the program at Hobby meant to showcase local performers by offering them week-long residencies on a prestigious stage. This season includes CJ Emmons's one-man comedy musical show I'm Freaking Talented; a rhythmic interactive storytelling experience called Our Road Home by Jakari Sherman; and Lavanya Rajagopalan's combination of music, dance and verse, Kāvya: Poetry in Motion. Information about all three shows, including ticket prices and availability, can be found at TheHobbyCenter.org.

The last show (debuting May 1) was a particular inspiration to Gonzo247. Viewers may notice a pair of hands in a traditional Indian dance pose, a direct reference to Rajagopalan's show.

The Houston is Inspired program was launched launched in the 2023-2024 season. In addition to the residency in Zilkha Hall, artists are given a $20,000 stipend for production and marketing costs. It is now a permanent fixture of the Hobby season. Applicants for future seasons can submit here.

Known for his original "Houston is Inspired" mural in downtown's Market Square, Gonzo247 has been an active force in Houston art for 30 years, including producing the video series Aerosol Warfare about the street art scene in the 1990s and 2000s as well as founding the Graffiti and Street Art Museum. He also served as the artist liaison for Meow Wolf's Houston installation. If anyone's visual vision is perfect to welcome audience members to shows highlighting homegrown talent, it's him.

“Art’s all about telling stories, but it ain’t just what you see — it’s what you feel," he said. "This piece speaks to the heart of everything we’re about: culture, rhythm, struggle, and triumph. When you walk into the space, you gotta feel the anticipation, the energy building up. That’s what I wanted to capture — the vibe of the whole city, the passion in the work, and that next-level hunger to rise up and create something fresh. It’s like the beat drops, and everything just connects.”

visual-art downtown mural gonzo247