Lincoln mural by Eduardo Kobra, back wall of the Kentucky Theatre, Water Street, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Lincoln
Eduardo Kobra · the Lincoln Memorial statue in kaleidoscope colours, 60 feet high, finished in November 2013 for the PRHBTN festival · back wall of the Kentucky Theatre, facing Water Street, downtown Lexington
Photo as published by Street Art Utopia (15 November 2013); photographer not named
Since November 2013 the seated Lincoln of the Lincoln Memorial has filled the back wall of the Kentucky Theatre in downtown Lexington. Brazilian muralist Eduardo Kobra painted the face, hands and coat in grey stone tones and the rest in his geometric patches of colour, about 60 feet high. WTVQ reported the mural complete on 13 November 2013, days before the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, and a stock photographer pictured it on 21 November. It was commissioned by PRHBTN, the city’s street-art festival. The newest dated report we found is the city’s official street-art guide of June 2022.
5 things to know
- Finished for a Lincoln anniversaryWTVQ reported on 13 November 2013 that the mural “is complete on the back of the theatre in downtown Lexington”, tying it to the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address on 19 November. WTVQ
- A wall bigger than plannedSmiley Pete: the project “was marked by an apparent international measurement miscommunication, leaving the artist to cover a much larger space”. He finished “with the help from the Lexington Fire Department, which provided floodlights”. Smiley Pete
- Commissioned by PRHBTNA Roadside America tip from 15 November 2013 says the mural “was commissioned by the PRHBTN Group in Lexington and will remain in place for at least 10 years.” A Lexington blog wrote on 25 November 2013 that it came about during “this years third annual PRHBTN”. Roadside America · Love Lexington
- “Hallucinogenic colors and checkered clown pants”Roadside America describes it as “DC’s Lincoln Memorial sculpture overlaid with hallucinogenic colors and checkered clown pants.” USA Today later named it among the top 20 murals in the United States to take a selfie with, LEX 18 reported in 2021. Roadside America · LEX 18
- The city’s signature wallSmiley Pete calls it “Arguably the most iconic and high profile mural in Lexington”, a mural that has turned up in local music videos, on TV and on the cover of University of Kentucky orientation packets. Smiley Pete
Check-in guide
- 📍
- On the back wall of the Kentucky Theatre (214 E. Main Street), facing Water Street in downtown Lexington (LEX 18, Smiley Pete). VisitLEX places it in the 200 block of Water Street (VisitLEX); Roadside America uses the address 247 Water St (Roadside America).
- 👀
- University of Kentucky’s news service noted in 2014 that it is visible from Vine Street (UKNow).
- 🅿️
- A 2014 visitor tip: “Free parking lot (after 3 PM) right next to this mural.” (Roadside America)
- 🧭
- The Maps button searches for the Lincoln mural at 247 Water Street.
Sightings
- 201313 Nov
WTVQ: mural complete
- 201321 Nov
Stock photo, Barry Fowler
- 201325 Nov
Blog photos, PRHBTN
- 201416 Sep
UKNow: visible from Vine St
- 202021 Jul
Visitor tip, Roadside America
- 202123 Jul
LEX 18: USA Today top 20
- 202230 Jun
VisitLEX street-art guide
Every stamp links to the dated source. The green stamp is a dated photo of the wall: Barry Fowler’s stock photo, taken on 21 November 2013. Amber stamps are dated reports: WTVQ on the finished mural (13 November 2013), a Lexington blog post on the PRHBTN murals (25 November 2013), University of Kentucky’s UKNow (16 September 2014), a Roadside America visitor tip (21 July 2020), LEX 18 on the USA Today list (23 July 2021) and the VisitLEX street-art guide (30 June 2022), the newest dated report we found. We found no dated photo newer than 2013 that we could open, and no report of damage, restoration or overpainting.
On the record
Lincoln mural finished in downtown Lexington
“is complete on the back of the theatre in downtown Lexington”
The Lexington TV station, tying the mural to the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.
Lexington’s Abraham Lincoln mural named in USA Today’s top 20 murals in the United States
“colorful kaleidoscope depiction”
How USA Today’s list described Kobra’s Lincoln, quoted by Sierra Newton.
Lincoln (mural)
“Arguably the most iconic and high profile mural in Lexington”
The Lexington publisher’s public-art guide.
The facts
- Artist
- Eduardo Kobra (LEX 18, Smiley Pete, Roadside America, UKNow, VisitLEX) Checked
- Title
- “Lincoln” (UKNow, Smiley Pete) Checked
- Shows
- The seated statue of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in kaleidoscope colours (LEX 18, Roadside America) Checked
- Painted
- November 2013 (WTVQ, Roadside America, Love Lexington, Alamy, LEX 18) Checked. Smiley Pete says it was created during the 2014 PRHBTN festival (Smiley Pete) Conflicting; WTVQ reported it complete on 13 November 2013, so we follow 2013.
- Commissioned by
- PRHBTN, Lexington’s street-art festival, in its third year (Roadside America, Love Lexington, Smiley Pete) Checked
- Size
- 60 feet high (VisitLEX, Roadside America, Smiley Pete) Checked
- Place
- Back wall of the Kentucky Theatre, 214 E. Main Street, facing Water Street, downtown Lexington (LEX 18, Smiley Pete, VisitLEX, Roadside America) Checked
- Our photo
- Published by Street Art Utopia on 15 November 2013, two days after WTVQ reported the mural complete; a boom lift still stands at its foot. The photographer is not named and the photo is not dated (Street Art Utopia) Checked
- Status
- Seen June 2022: the VisitLEX street-art guide of 30 June 2022 describes it as “Standing 60 feet high on the back of the famous Kentucky Theater” (VisitLEX) Reported. The newest dated visitor tip is from 21 July 2020 (Roadside America) Reported. We found no report of damage, restoration or overpainting.
Related
- On Street Art Utopia: Only in America (18 Photos) (12 October 2026), By Eduardo Kobra of Abraham Lincoln in Kentucky, USA (15 November 2013) and 8 American Murals Worth the Detour (21 July 2026).
- The statue Kobra painted, carved from 28 blocks of Georgia marble. National Park Service
- Kobra’s own photos and videos. Eduardo Kobra on Instagram
All sources (9)
This work
- WTVQ: “Lincoln mural finished in downtown Lexington”, 13 November 2013. Complete on the back of the theatre; Gettysburg Address anniversary on 19 November.
- Roadside America: “Lexington, Kentucky: Giant Abraham Lincoln Mural”, tips from 15 November 2013 to 21 July 2020. 60 feet, 2013, PRHBTN commission, back of the Kentucky Theater, 247 Water St.
- Love Lexington: “Murals of Lexington”, 25 November 2013. Third annual PRHBTN; covers the back of the Kentucky Theatre.
- UKNow: “Celebrate Kentucky Week With Lexington Street Art”, 16 September 2014. “Lincoln” by Eduardo Kobra on the back wall of the Kentucky Theater, visible from Vine Street.
- LEX 18: “Lexington’s Abraham Lincoln mural named in USA Today’s top 20 murals in the United States”, by Sierra Newton, 23 July 2021. 2013, Kobra, 214 E. Main Street.
- VisitLEX: “The Street Art Guide”, 30 June 2022. 60 feet high on the back of the Kentucky Theater, 200 block of Water Street.
- Smiley Pete: “Lincoln (mural)”, undated. 60 feet, measurement mix-up, Fire Department floodlights, “2014 PRHBTN festival”.
Dated photos
- Alamy: “Abraham Lincoln mural in downtown Lexington Kentucky”, Barry Fowler, taken 21 November 2013.
Context
Artwork File · Last checked 13 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files