8 downtown murals that help make Detroit one of the top U.S. cities for street art

Detroit is known worldwide as one of America’s top cities for street art, with hundreds of murals covering walls all around the region.

Here are just a few favorites, specifically in downtown Detroit, that are worth checking out, including several that are a bit hidden.

Stevie Wonder, by Richard Wilson

1451 Brush St.

Detroit has given many, many great gifts to this world, but surely one of its most important exports is the great Steveland Morris, better known as Stevie Wonder. In 2019, he was immortalized in one of the city’s largest murals, on the back of Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts. London-based artist Richard Wilson told the Free Press, “For me, he’s the greatest living singer, songwriter and musician. In 300 years, I’m sure he’ll be looked (at) as a Beethoven, Mozart, Bach — that kind of epic influence on humanity.”

Untitled, by Ellen Rutt and Patrick Ethen

573 Monroe St.

Completed in 2017, this creative mural has a tiled look and depicts an ancient Greco-Roman statue. Artists Ellen Rutt and Patrick Ethen are respected artists in the region, and this very cool work should not be missed.

One Man Army, by Aryz

1431 Farmer St.

This mural was planned by Detroit’s renowned Library Street Collective. Former Free Press arts reporter Mark Stryker wrote in 2015: “Terrific draftsmanship, moody color and sly repetition inform this work by the young Barcelona, Spain-based Aryz (pronounced Arr-ease), who displays a depth of expression unusual for street art. The shadow of Diego Rivera's 'Detroit Industry' murals seems to hover in the noble humanity that Aryz brings to his four identical working-class figures.”

Spreading the seeds for an equal future, by Carlos Alberto GH

1441 St. Antoine

Part of the UN’s Zero Hunger program, this mural was painted by Mexican artist Carlos Alberto GH, and is billed as the world’s largest 3D mural. Located on the back side of the Frank Murphy Hall of Justice.

Mopar Mural, by Camilo Pardo

349 Monroe St.

This fun, splashy mural by Camilo Pardo depicts classic cars and a blonde woman on an exterior wall of popular pub The Old Shillelagh in Greektown. Pardo moved to Detroit when he was 10 years old and developed an obsession with 1960s and ‘70s sports cars and modern art. In 1985, he was hired by Dearborn’s Ford Design Center, where he eventually re-designed the classic Ford GT race car.

Bakpak Durden, by Smug

127 Fisher Service Drive

One of the hotly controversial murals from late 2023 helmed by Street Art Mankind, this extra-large mural is seen daily by thousands driving along the Fisher Freeway through downtown Detroit, many wondering who’s depicted in the painting. It’s famed Detroit artist Bakpak Durden, as seen by Australian artist Smug. The mural was commissioned as part of the 2023 Street Art for Mankind project, plagued with problems at City Hall because the artists hired weren't local, resulting in protest across the Detroit artist community. Durden, merely the subject of the piece, is a fine artist in their own right. After viewing this mural, be sure to look up Bakpak’s work.

Untitled, by Mindfield

1250 Library St.

The address is sort of a lie — this mural is visible only from the top floor of downtown’s Z garage. (The Z garage gives direct access to The BELT, a beloved arts alley packed with restaurants, bars and even more murals.) A striking abstract image of a woman wearing a mask, it’s one of downtown’s more unique street art pieces.

Untitled, by Nivek Manet

535 Monroe St.

Perhaps the hardest to find on this list, this mural is located in a narrow back alley that’s difficult to access by vehicle even on the best of days. It’s best to go on foot. Depicting Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jay Gatsby from director Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby,” it includes text reading “A little party ain’t never killed nobody,” the title of singer Fergie’s song from the film’s soundtrack.

Want to find and track murals not only downtown but across metro Detroit? Visit the Detroit Office of Arts, Culture and Entrepreneurship's Detroit Mural Map site, or download the CANVS street art app.

Stick with the Free Press for upcoming pieces on more murals in other parts of the city and region.

Contact Free Press arts and culture reporter Duante Beddingfield at dbeddingfield@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 8 great downtown Detroit murals and the artists behind them