Kora mural by Bruno Althamer (Neuhamer), Warsaw, Poland
A Tree for
Kora
Bruno Althamer, now Bruno Neuhamer · Mural of Kora, unveiled 17 January 2019 · Courtyard wall at the back of Nowy Świat 18/20, behind Branicki Palace, Warsaw
Four seasons, as published on Street Art Utopia; photographer not named. Dated photos of the wall are on Wikimedia Commons
The singer Kora’s painted face looks out from a courtyard wall off Warsaw’s Nowy Świat, and the horse chestnut in front of it is her hair. Bruno Althamer designed the portrait for the magazine Wysokie Obcasy’s “Kobiety na mury” (Women on the Walls) campaign, and it was unveiled on 17 January 2019. In March 2026 someone sprayed a black tag on the lower part of her face; we found no report yet that it has been repaired.
5 things to know
- The tree is the hairdoThe portrait is combined with the horse chestnut that grows next to the wall. Althamer said the tree “became part of the work”, so the mural would “react to the seasons and change with them”. PAP described Kora’s hair as branches that “visually intertwine” with the real ones. RMF FM · PAP / dzieje.pl
- He picked the only bare treeAlthamer, quoted by Viva!, said he first visited the site in autumn: “Kasztanowce, odkąd zachorowały, wcześnie zrzucają liście. To było jedyne gołe drzewo w okolicy.” (Since the chestnuts fell ill they drop their leaves early. It was the only bare tree around.) Viva!
- A magazine’s wall of womenThe mural was part of “Kobiety na mury”, a campaign by the magazine Wysokie Obcasy. Kora, who sang with Maanam, had died the year before. Her husband Kamil Sipowicz cut the ribbon at 17:00 on 17 January 2019. RMF FM · PAP / dzieje.pl · Wirtualnemedia
- Designed by him, painted by a teamEarly reports call Althamer the designer. In 2026 TVN Warszawa wrote that the wall itself was painted by artists from the mural agency Redsheels. The artist has since changed his surname to Neuhamer, and a March 2026 photo shows the signature “Bruno Neuhamer” at the foot of the wall. Wirtualnemedia · TVN Warszawa · GQ Polska · Whitemad
- Tagged twiceViva! reported in October 2019 that someone had daubed part of Kora’s face. In March 2026 a black tag appeared on her lower face, with two more tags beside the portrait. The information plaque photographed in 2019 is also gone. The Agora Foundation, which leases the wall, said repairs would be costly and take weeks. Viva! · Whitemad · TVN Warszawa · Nasze Miasto
Check-in guide
- 📍
- In the courtyard at the back of Nowy Świat 18/20, behind Branicki Palace, a few steps from the de Gaulle roundabout. You can also walk in from the side at Smolna 40 (In Your Pocket, Wycieczka za dychę). One 2024 photo caption gives the address as Nowy Świat 22; see The facts.
- 🌸
- The tree changes the picture. Fans come especially in spring, when the chestnut flowers (TVN Warszawa), and people who live nearby often say in spring that the mural “zakwitł” (has blossomed) (Whitemad).
- 👀
- The newest dated photos are from late March 2026 and show a black tag across her lower face. A repair was announced in April 2026, but we found no report that it is finished, so check before you travel.
- 🧭
- The Maps button points to the wall, between the In Your Pocket map point and the camera position of a dated 2024 Commons photo.
Sightings
- 201917 Jan
Commons photo, unveiling day
- 201917 Jan
PAP: unveiled
- 201917 Feb
Commons photo, with plaque
- 201912 Oct
Viva!: face daubed
- 2020Dec
Blog photos
- 202428 May
Commons, after the bloom
- 202621 Mar
Photos: tag on face
- 202626 Mar
Nasze Miasto gallery
- 202629 Mar
TVN Warszawa photos
- 20266 Apr
Repair plan: overpaint
- 20261 Oct
In SAU “When Plants Join In”
Every stamp links to the dated source. Green stamps are dated photos of the wall; amber stamps are news about the work. The December 2020 photos were published in a June 2026 blog post. The March 2026 photos show the mural still on the wall but tagged.
On the record
Mural dla Kory odsłonięty. Dzieło będzie reagować na pory roku!
“To portret połączony z motywem drzewa – kasztanowca, który rośnie obok. Drzewo stało się częścią pracy, dzięki czemu mural będzie reagował na pory roku i zmieniał się wraz z nimi.”
Bruno Althamer, quoted from Wysokie Obcasy: “It is a portrait combined with the motif of a tree – the horse chestnut that grows next to it. The tree became part of the work, so the mural will react to the seasons and change with them.” The radio station calls him “Autorem malowidła” (the author of the painting).
W Warszawie odsłonięto mural z podobizną Kory
“Mural to podobizna Kory, której włosy symbolizują gałęzie. Wizualnie splatają się one z gałęziami drzewa rosnącego obok.”
“The mural is a likeness of Kora whose hair stands for branches. Visually they intertwine with the branches of the tree growing next to it.” The Polish Press Agency places it “na tyłach Pałacu Branickich” (behind Branicki Palace).
Bazgroły na muralu Kory. Akt wandalizmu przy Nowym Świecie
“Ktoś pomazał twarz Kory na słynnym muralu z Nowego Światu. Malowidło jest chętnie odwiedzane przez fanów artystki, zwłaszcza wiosną, gdy wokół rozkwitają kwiaty kasztanowca.”
“Someone has daubed Kora’s face on the famous mural off Nowy Świat. Fans of the singer like to visit the painting, especially in spring, when the chestnut flowers bloom around it.”
Zniszczony mural Kory nie będzie czyszczony, tylko odmalowany
“Naprawa muralu raczej nie będzie polegała na czyszczeniu, tylko na zamalowaniu graffiti.”
Michał Krasucki of the Warsaw heritage conservator’s office, first quoted in Super Express: “The repair will probably not mean cleaning but painting over the graffiti.” He added that matching the patch to the rest would be a demanding task for the artist.
The facts
- Artist
- Bruno Althamer, born 1988, son of the sculptor Paweł Althamer. He has since changed his surname to Neuhamer and now works as Bruno Neuhamer (GQ Polska, neuhamer.com). Every 2019 source names him as Althamer Checked
- Who painted it
- Althamer designed it (Wirtualnemedia, PAP). TVN Warszawa and a 2026 travel blog say artists from the mural agency Redsheels painted the wall (TVN Warszawa, Wycieczka za dychę) Reported
- Title
- No formal title found. The press calls it the mural of Kora (“mural Kory”, “Mural dla Kory”); In Your Pocket lists it as “Kora Mural” Reported
- Unveiled
- 17 January 2019 at 17:00, by Kamil Sipowicz, Kora’s husband (RMF FM, PAP, Commons photo) Checked
- Campaign
- “Kobiety na mury” (Women on the Walls) by Wysokie Obcasy. The Agora Foundation leases the wall from the Śródmieście district’s property office and is responsible for its upkeep (RMF FM, Nasze Miasto) Checked
- The tree
- A horse chestnut (kasztanowiec) that grows close to the wall; painted branches on the wall lead into it (Wirtualnemedia, RMF FM, PAP) Checked
- Address
- Most sources: the back of Nowy Świat 18/20, behind Branicki Palace (RMF FM, PAP, In Your Pocket). A 2024 Commons caption puts it on the annex of the tenement at Nowy Świat 22, beside the palace’s north annex (Commons); Nasze Miasto wrote “Nowy Świat 18” Conflicting
- Building
- eWarszawa says the building at Nowy Świat 18/20 is on the heritage register (eWarszawa) Reported
- Wall text
- A box beside the portrait reads “kobiety wiedzą co robią” (women know what they’re doing) (In Your Pocket). An information plaque, photographed in February 2019, was gone by March 2026 (Commons, Whitemad) Reported
- Vandalism
- Part of the face was daubed in October 2019 (Viva!). In March 2026 a black tag was sprayed on the lower face, with two more tags beside it; the earliest report we found is from 21 March 2026 (Whitemad, Nasze Miasto, TVN Warszawa, Super Express) Checked
- Repair
- Planned as overpainting, “at least a few weeks” per the Agora Foundation (eWarszawa). We found no report or dated photo showing the repair finished Unconfirmed
- Photo
- Our four-season grid was uploaded to Street Art Utopia in April 2022. Its photographer and the dates of the four shots are not known Unconfirmed
- Status
- Still on the wall in late March 2026, with the black tag on the face; newest dated photos 29 March 2026 (TVN Warszawa). eWarszawa’s report of 6 April 2026 carries a photo by Bartosz Pańczyk, but does not say when it was taken Checked
Related
- On Street Art Utopia: When Plants Join In (12 Photos) (1 October 2026), where the photo above appeared as work no. 5, and the earlier Four Seasons Tribute to Kora in Warsaw, Poland (19 December 2024).
- Kora’s second Warsaw mural, a portrait surrounded by roses on Żeromskiego Street in Bielany, near where she lived for many years. TVN Warszawa · Nasze Miasto
- The artist’s own site, with his bio and catalogue. neuhamer.com
All sources (17)
This mural
- RMF FM: “Mural dla Kory odsłonięty. Dzieło będzie reagować na pory roku!”, 18 January 2019, Katarzyna Solecka. Unveiling at 17:00, Sipowicz cut the ribbon, Althamer as author, horse chestnut, artist’s quote, Nowy Świat 18/20 behind Branicki Palace, Kobiety na mury.
- PAP / dzieje.pl: “W Warszawie odsłonięto mural z podobizną Kory”, 17 January 2019. Unveiled on Thursday, designed by Althamer, hair as branches, Nowy Świat 18/20; Sipowicz quotes.
- TVN Warszawa: “Odsłonięto mural Kory. Będzie „żył z drzewem”, 17 January 2019. Unveiling, Sipowicz: the mural will “live with the tree”.
- Wirtualnemedia: “17 stycznia w Warszawie odsłonięcie muralu Kory”, 14 January 2019, announcement. Horse chestnut, Althamer as designer (“Autorem projektu”), time of unveiling.
- In Your Pocket Warsaw: “Kora Mural”, undated venue page. Access from Smolna 40, created 2019 by Althamer, text box on the wall; map point 52.23273, 21.02039.
- Viva!: “Mural upamiętniający Korę został zdewastowany!”, 12 October 2019. Face daubed on a Friday; Althamer’s quote on choosing the bare chestnut.
- Whitemad: “Wandale zniszczyli mural Kory. Warszawiacy go kochają”, 21 March 2026, Mateusz Markowski; photos by Mateusz M. Opasiński. Black tag on the face, plaque gone, earlier vandalism in 2019; photo shows the signature “Bruno Neuhamer”.
- Nasze Miasto Warszawa: “Zdewastowano mural Kory Jackowskiej”, 26 March 2026, Jędrzej Cichocki, 8 photos. Agora Foundation leases the wall and handles repairs (district spokesperson Anna Łobko).
- Super Express: “Mural z Korą został zniszczony przez wandali!”, 27 March 2026. Face painted over with black paint; Althamer’s mural behind Branicki Palace.
- TVN Warszawa: “Bazgroły na muralu Kory”, 29 March 2026, photos and video by Mateusz Mżyk. Tag on the face, two more tags, Redsheels, spring visitors.
- eWarszawa: “Zniszczony mural Kory nie będzie czyszczony, tylko odmalowany”, 6 April 2026, Bartosz Pańczyk. Heritage register, Krasucki on overpainting, foundation on cost and time.
- Wycieczka za dychę: “Mural Kory Jackowskiej. Żyjące malowidło na Nowym Świecie”, 22 June 2026 travel blog; photos from December 2020. Redsheels, access from Smolna, March 2026 vandalism.
Dated photos
- Wikimedia Commons: “Mural Kory w Warszawie”, photo by Tomasz W. Michałowski, 17 January 2019 (unveiling day), CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Wikimedia Commons: “Mural Kora ul. Nowy Świat w Warszawie”, photo by Adrian Grycuk, 17 February 2019, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL; with its companion photo of the information plaque.
- Wikimedia Commons: “Mural kory na nowym świecie aspekt późnowiosenny”, photo by Panek, 28 May 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0; “after the chestnut has finished flowering”; gives the address as Nowy Świat 22.
The artist
- GQ Polska: “Althamer i Neuhamer: jak dzielą życie, sztukę i wspólną przestrzeń”, 3 May 2026. Father and son; Bruno on changing his surname.
- neuhamer.com: Bio, artist’s own site, undated. Born 1988; murals since 2019, working with Agora S.A. among others.
Artwork File · Last checked 5 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files