Eduardo Kobra

Eduardo Kobra street art - a large and colorful mural depicting John Lennon created during the 2017 Upfest in Bristol, England.
A colorful mural by Brazilian street artist Eduardo Kobra recreates an iconic John Lennon image. Photo by Nick Fewings via Unsplash

Eduardo Kobra was born in 1975 and grew up in a poor neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Now Kobra is one of the most popular street artists in the world — with works painted in 20 different countries across five continents. As a teenager he began working as a graffiti artist in the alleys of Sao Paulo. Over the years he developed his own style which involve colorful renditions of iconic historical figures.

The John Lennon mural was created during the 2017 Upfest in Bristol, England. Upfest is Europe’s largest street art festival. The annual event was started in 2008 in Bristol — the hometown of ‘guerrilla artist’ Banksy.


Colorful street art mural of Mt. Rushmore by Eduardo Kobra
A colorful painting of Mt. Rushmore by Eduardo Kobra in Los Angeles. This photo by Lord Jim (2012) via Flickr, CC 2.0 license.

Vivian Maier street art mural painting on wall of building in Chicago
Eduardo Kobra’s tribute to Vivian Maier

Andy Warhol's eyes in colorful street mural by Eduardo Kobra
The eyes of Andy Warhol from Miami mural by Eduardo Kobra. This photo by Jay Galvin (2018) via Flickr, CC 2.0 license.
Eduardo Kobra
Self portrait of Eduardo Kobra at 451 W. Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio. This photo by jpellgen (2019) via Flickr, CC 2.0 license.

Kobra wall art, Chelsea
Mother Theresa and Gandhi are featured in another Kobra mural. See other photos of the mural – located above the Chelsea Square Market at 130 10th Ave., New York, NY. This photo by Timothy Neesam (2019) via Flickr, CC 2.0.

Eduardo Kobra Painted a Huge Mural for the 2016 Olympic Games

Kobra painted the largest mural in the world for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio — over 560 feet long (2,500 square meters). In 2017, he completed an even larger painting (5,742 square meters) — celebrating chocolate.

The Olympic Channel featured a beautiful story about Kobra’s mural – painted for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Kobra’s Big Kiss – Painted in 2012

One of Kobra’s most famous paintings is ‘The Kiss’ (below).

A colorful rendition of The Kiss – large street art mural by Eduardo Kobra - located near West 23rd Street in New York city.
‘The Kiss’ – another iconic mural by Kobra located near West 23rd Street in New York city. Photo by Khürt Williams via Unsplash

‘The Kiss’ reinterprets a photo taken by American photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898-1995). The original photo was taken on August 13, 1945, when people took to the streets to celebrate the end of World War II.

Kobra Mural in Chelsea
This photo provides another perspective on ‘The Kiss’.
Photo by Garret Ziegler (2012) via Flickr, CC 2.0 license
Kobra Mural in Chelsea
Detail from a second mural, appearing below ‘The Kiss’.
Photo by Garret Ziegler (2012) via Flickr, CC 2.0 license


Artist Eduardo Kobra is interviewed about the Abe Lincoln mural in Lexington, Kentucky