Boston Auction House To Sell Government Center T Station Murals
BOSTON (CBS) -- If you have ridden the T through Government Center Station anytime over the past 35 years, you have seen the nearly two dozen large, colorful murals on display that are now up for sale.
The four foot-by-eight-foot murals are coated in bright Benjamin Moore paint, and they have held up remarkably well, says Laura Sweeney, Boston gallery director for Skinner Auctions. The murals were painted by artist Mary Beams.
"There may be a little bit of brake dust that's accumulated," she told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey on Thursday. "They were covered with Plexiglas about a year after they were installed.
While there may be some surface grime, Sweeney says "it kind of adds to the authenticity. They have not been restored, but they don't really need it."
The auction house is handling the sale of the artwork. Sweeney says the pieces, which are priced between $700 and $3,000, are appealing to a wide variety of people, not just art collectors, "or even for people that have moved away from Boston but want a little piece of Boston to have at home."
Sweeney says Skinner handles a lot of unusual items, but the 19 murals up for sale are among the most unique.
"We haven't sold anything installed as an art project by the T before," she said, "Something that people are so familiar with over the course of many years. We're excited to see what they go for, and who ends up buying them."
The online auction started at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 20, and it ends Thursday, Oct. 29 at 3 p.m.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports
