Domingo Zapata commissioned to paint giant mural in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia has commissioned New York artist Domingo Zapata to create the largest mural ever made — a 50,000-square-meter painting in Riyadh, roughly 540,000 square feet, or about nine football fields. Zapata has previously completed massive murals in Times Square, Miami and New York.

The nation’s Ministry of Culture has given him an “unlimited budget” for a work expected to be visible from space and to take four to six years to complete. Zapata called the project his “magna opera” and said it will likely be his last mural. “It’s more than just a painting.

It’s a declaration of humanity, of love, understanding, union and progress,” he said. He described the piece as “the Middle Eastern version of the Sistine Chapel,” with more than 100 artists, engineers and architects collaborating, and said he expects to spend four to six years in the Middle Eastern country.

Saudi Arabia, Riyadh

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