Seymour Fogel ANB Mural Project

Saving One of Seymour Fogel's Modern Mural Masterpieces.

One of Seymour Fogel’s most inspiring murals was commissioned and created for the American National Bank (ANB) in Austin, Texas. Completed in 1955, the geometric pattern and vibrant, juxtaposed colors uniquely characterize Fogel’s linear works.

Important News: Ms. Laura Wiegand, Director of Programs & Technology, Texas Commission on the Arts, shared some fantastic news about the Starr Building in downtown Austin, Texas. This building houses Seymour Fogel's wonderful ANB mural. The building has been sold with the buyer agreeing to "... include a permanent conservation easement that would preserve the Seymour Fogel Mural in place, in perpetuity." Click to read more. We wish a very special thanks to Ms. Weigand for her ongoing efforts and sharing this fantastic news!

The mural measures nearly 11 by 30 feet and is painted on wire-supported stucco featuring one of Fogel’s inventive techniques called Ethyl Silicate. The completed ANB mural received national acclaim and was featured in the March, 1955 issue of Fortune Magazine in an article entitled "The Modern Art of Business" (see below).

The mural is located within the currently vacant Starr Office Building (see below), and is the subject of an active proposal to save Fogel’s fabulous ANB mural--initiated by Austin attorney, Robert Summers.

Many individuals who appreciate Fogel’s work would love to see this wonderful mural saved. Below is a January, 2009 update provided by Ms. Laura Wiegand, Director of Programs & Technology, Texas Commission on the Arts:

“To update you on this project, the building that houses the mural is currently for sale. The outcome of the mural is dependent upon private fundraising efforts to secure the necessary monies for the removal, storage, and conservation of the work (estimated at $350,000 to $500,000). The Federal courthouse that has agreed to take the mural has not broken ground yet.”

More so than its original home, the new Austin Federal Courthouse (see below) is very much in keeping with Fogel's modernist mural.

To read more about the ANB mural, visit the Texas Commission of the Arts, an article published within The Austin Chronicle, or more information located on TexasModernArt.

To contribute and help save Seymour Fogel's American National Bank mural, please contact Laura Wiegand at laura@arts.state.tx.us.