The Making and Unveiling of Hermosa Beach’s “Great wave” [VIDEO]

On June 28, the Hermosa Beach Mural Committee unveiled the 75-foot-long, 19-foot tall “Great Wave” on the side of the Underground Pub and Grill in downtown Hermosa Beach. The committee commissioned Van Hamersveld last December, in the words of its theme committee, to paint the “surfing lifestyle that gave those living here a sense of belonging and a special connection with nature [that] continues today.”
John Van Hamersveld created the Endless Summer movie poster, which is now in the Los Angeles and New York museums of modern art. He created the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour and the Rolling Stones Exile on Main Street album covers. For the 1984 Olympics, he created a mural that wrapped around the Los Angeles Coliseum. His Freemont Street Experience in Las Vegas, a four-block-long light show of his art, has been viewed by over 90 million people, making it possibly the most viewed contemporary art installation in the world.

The Civic Couch dives into the process of making the mural.