Artist cries foul over whitewash of 'Eyes' mural
Diane Bell, San Diego Union Tribune

December 6, 2003

They're gone. The haunting "Eyes of Picasso" that graced the facade of the old Carnation Dairy building at 10th Avenue and J Street downtown are there no longer. They were painted over to make way for redevelopment by new owners planning to construct three condo towers.

The "Eyes" and the Carnation building have gone through numerous transformations over the years. The mural, painted by local artist Mario Torero, started its life in 1978 on the side of the Knights of Pythias Building at Third Avenue and E Street. That building, home of the Community Arts Center, was torn down to make way for Horton Plaza in the mid-1980s, so Torero and fellow artists repainted the colorful mural of tear-spilling eyes on the Carnation building. The former dairy was then owned by Union Bank. Bank officials, who hadn't authorized the artwork, quickly painted over it. Torero & Friends repainted it. Again bank workers covered it. In a war of wills, Torero painted the "Eyes" a third time. This time the bank left the mural in tact and sold the building to architect Wayne Buss. He created what he called the ReinCarnation Project of artists' spaces as well as offices and residential lofts. The "Eyes" became the symbol of "art alive" in the heart of downtown San Diego.

An era ends
Last weekend, however, workmen once again painted over the mural, sparking a reader's e-mail to me that protested: "It was one of the most arresting murals in the city, and I watched them whitewash it out. What's going on? Will the new owner of the building restore it after they build their hi-rise tower?"
The short answer is no. Amanda Coolong, a spokeswoman for the new Icon development's owners, Levin Menzies & Associates, says they had made it clear from the outset that Picasso's eyes didn't fit in with their condo plans, but she adds that local artists will be commissioned to create artwork for the development's public areas. Coolong says the company offered to help Torero find an alternate site.

The weekend whitewash caught the artist by surprise. "I'm still in shock," Torero says. He's disappointed that no attempt was made to preserve the mural. "We spoke a few months ago about working something out," he says, but found no suitable location. The "Eyes" could be re-painted on a tall building next to the new Sherman Heights Community Center but that site is outside the downtown core where the mural has been a presence for so long. "It's a public piece of art even though it's a private building," says Torero. "This art belongs to the community, but the community is being deprived of it. It's like the eyes have been blindfolded." For him, the "Eyes," symbolize the arts community's last stand downtown because artists have been chased out by the ballpark, surrounding redevelopment and escalating rents.

Perhaps that's why Picasso's eyes were crying.

Torero is clearly no quitter, so it is my guess that the mural will reappear somewhere. But erasure of those penetrating eyes, overlooking the new Petco ballpark, is definitely a loss for East Village.