Fresque Missak Manouchian (artiste Popof 2012)

This striking mural, standing seven stories high, serves as a monumental tribute to Missak Manouchian and his group of resistance fighters. The artist, known as Popof, spent over a month suspended on a nacelle to complete the one hundred and sixty square meter work in early twenty twelve. He did not use traditional spray cans for the entire surface, instead opting for a forty centimeter wide roller and a custom-made tool consisting of five brushes bundled together to create his signature sweeping, organic lines. The project held a deep personal resonance for the artist. Popof was born in Moscow to a father who had been imprisoned in a Soviet gulag for ten years, and he felt an immediate connection to the history of Manouchian, an Armenian poet and genocide survivor who led a daring immigrant resistance cell in Paris during the Nazi occupation. The mural stands on the rue Surmelin, a location chosen to commemorate the memory of the twenty-three resistance members who were arrested by the Vichy police and executed by the Nazis in nineteen forty-four. By creating this massive public display, the artwork ensures that the sacrifice of these foreign-born heroes remains a permanent part of the local landscape.