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Kobe Bryant Muralist: 'He Deserves To Be Painted'
Art Gozukuchikyan painted a Kobe Bryant mural outside of VEM Exotic Rentals on Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. (Chava Sanchez/LAist)
Within an hour of Kobe Bryant's death last month, artist Art Gozukuchikyan decided:
"I should paint him. He deserves to be painted."
Within 24 hours, Gozukuchikyan, who goes by "Artoon," had finished a tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant. His murals (there's another in Mid-City) are among dozens of public memorials that have appeared across Southern California in the month since the Jan. 26 crash.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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