Art Shouldn’t Be Just for Galleries (10 Photos)
Content warning: Art shouldn’t be just for galleries. It should decorate our cities. From Brussels to Birmingham! This collection takes us from portraits of chimpanzees and cats to surreal pirate worlds, origami foxes, and neon-lit cityscapes. Each mural tells a different
Art shouldn’t be just for galleries. It should decorate our cities. From Brussels to Birmingham! This collection takes us from portraits of chimpanzees and cats to surreal pirate worlds, origami foxes, and neon-lit cityscapes. Each mural tells a different story, capturing human emotion, urban energy, and nature!
More: Absolutely Gorgeous (9 Photos)
1. A Glimpse of Humanity — SMOK in Ronse, Belgium
A mural of two chimpanzees, one adult and one young, painted with lifelike detail and surrounded by abstract colorful strokes. The work highlights expressive faces and close interaction between the figures.
SMOK: In the midst of these dark times, my mural reflects the enduring power of love and humanity. The sorrow in the eyes of the mother chimpanzee mirrors the pain and turmoil that surrounds us, while her joyful child embodies the innocence and hope that can be found even in the bleakest of circumstances. This artwork serves as a reminder that love and resilience are the cornerstones of our humanity, lighting the way through the darkest of days. Spread kindness like confetti. I believe those small acts of warmth can change the world!
🔗 Follow SMOK on Instagram
2. Echoes of Harmony — Studio Giftig in Eindhoven, Netherlands
A towering mural showing a woman playing violin while sitting on the shoulders of a man with a beanie. Flowing hair and scattered autumn leaves surround the figures, adding motion to the composition.
🔗 Follow Studio Giftig on Instagram
3. Cardboard Cat — Nego in Torrellas, Spain
A trompe-l’œil mural depicting a ginger cat peeking through a painted cardboard box hole. The illusion makes it appear as if the cat is breaking through the wall.
🔗 Follow [url=https://www.instagram.com/negograff/]Nego on Instagram[/url]
4. In the Clouds — Tom, Wild Sketch & TETAL in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France
A fantasy mural filled with flying ships, castles, and air balloons. A pirate figure with sunglasses and a skull-adorned hat anchors the scene at the bottom, merging fantasy with reality. More photos here!
🔗 Follow Tom Wild Sketch and TETAL
5. Cats and Birds — Alegría del Prado in Carballo, Spain
A large mural featuring multiple cats in soft tones, accompanied by birds. The work stretches vertically along a high wall, combining naturalistic detail with dreamlike atmosphere. More!: 4 Photos of Cats and Birds Mural by Alegria del Prado in Carballo, Spain
🔗 Follow Alegría del Prado on Instagram
6. Night Taxi — Dan Kitchener in Belfast, Northern Ireland
A vivid city scene painted in neon colors, showing pedestrians with umbrellas, a taxi, and reflections of Japanese signage. The mural contrasts with its grayscale surroundings.
🔗 Follow Dan Kitchener on Instagram
7. Origami Foxes — Annatomix in Birmingham, UK
Geometric foxes in orange, white, and brown tones stretch across a wall under a bridge, painted alongside a bright yellow daffodil. The design resembles folded paper figures. More!: Origami Fox by Annatomix in Longbridge, Birmingham (3 photos and video)
🔗 Follow Annatomix on Instagram
8. Girl in Colors — Vinie in France
A mural of a girl with large eyes and hair composed of multicolored graffiti tags. The character kneels beneath dripping paint lines, blending street writing with figurative art. More!: Vinie’s Stunning Murals (25 Photos)
🔗 Follow Vinie on Instagram
9. The Drunken Ship — Claire Daliers in Brussels, Belgium
A trompe-l’œil mural covering a building facade with an image of a ship sailing across stormy seas. The vessel appears to emerge from the corner of the structure. More: The drunken ship (6 photos)
The Drunken Ship: “This 400 m2 fresco which covers the three facades of the building is not strictly speaking a mural comic. It is the realization of a man’s dream. Guy François, owner of the Chien Vert stores and madly in love with the sea, decides to fit out a building he has just bought next to his stores. His passion for the sea had already decided for him: the decoration of the facade would consist of a magnificent fresco representing the image of a sailboat. “.
10. Old Woman and Boy with Candles — Julien de Casabianca in The Hague, Netherlands
Homage to the painting “Two Women with a Candle” or “Old Woman and Young Woman with a Candle”. A 1616-1617 painting by Peter Paul Rubens.
🔗 Follow Julien de Casabianca on Instagram
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Which one is your favorite?
Absolutely Gorgeous (9 Photos)
From Glasgow to Buenos Aires, public walls and gardens carry some of the most breathtaking artworks of our time. In this selection, a child bends to pick acorns beneath a painted oak tree in Scotland, an elderly worker stands tall in Italy, and surreal portraits stretch across buildings in France, Belgium, and the USA. A stone figure walks elegantly over a pond, while colors burst into butterflies and flowers across facades. Here are 9 stunning works that bring beauty into shared spaces.
More: 9 Beautiful Moments When Nature and Art Became One
1. Child and Oak Tree — Rogue One in Glasgow, UK
A mural of a young child in a yellow jacket and blue hat, crouching to pick acorns under a large painted oak tree. The house windows are integrated into the tree trunk, and butterflies hover around the branches. More!: Amazing Murals By Bobby Rogue-One in Glasgow (6 Photos)🔗 Follow Rogue One on Instagram
2. Worker with Shovel — Manolo Mesa in Acquapendente, Italy
A large-scale mural showing an older man wearing a helmet and light blue shirt, leaning on a shovel. The figure fills the facade and captures a quiet moment of everyday life.🔗 Follow Manolo Mesa on Instagram
3. Striped Portrait — MEDIANERAS in Alcamo, Italy
A monumental mural of a person with eyes closed, wearing a striped black-and-white sweater. Behind them, colored stripes fade into the background, creating a sense of calm and depth.🔗 Follow MEDIANERAS on Instagram
4. Funny Heartache — Case Maclaim in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
A close-up mural of a girl with a playful expression, pressing her cheek against her hand. The portrait was created for Festival Street Art Boulogne-sur-Mer 2025.Case Maclaim: The artwork explores the complex landscape of female presence in public space. It speaks to the quiet burden of being told to “lighten up,” “smile more,” or “look pretty ” — commands that are as casual as they are demanding. The mural aims to reclaim visual space for women’s realities — not as decoration, but as confrontation and invitation. It is not asking for permission. It is asking to be seen. This woman is both subject and author of her expression. She is holding her head up – literally and metaphorically.
🔗 Follow Case Maclaim on Instagram
5. Songbird — Collin Van Der Sluijs in Meerbeek, Belgium
A mural of a nuthatch perched on a branch, surrounded by violet flowers and leafy patterns set against a blue background. The painting covers the full gable wall. More!: Out Standing… Murals By Collin Van der Sluijs (7 Photos)🔗 Follow Collin Van Der Sluijs on Instagram
6. The Painted Lady — Jim Vision in Beeston, UK
A vibrant mural of a woman’s face merging with flowers and butterflies. Bright colors dominate the sky, while monarch butterflies seem to fly off the wall into the air. More photos!: The Painted Lady – By Jim Vision In Beeston, UK (4 photos)🔗 Follow Jim Vision on Instagram
7. Garden Sculpture — Philip Jackson in (Location Unknown)
A surreal outdoor sculpture of a tall female figure in a textured dress, stepping forward with elongated legs. The figure wears a wide abstract headpiece and is placed in a green garden. More!: 10 Haunting Sculptures by Philip Jackson🔗 Follow Philip Jackson on Instagram
8. Reflections — Martin Ron in San Nicolás de los Arroyos, Argentina
A massive mural depicting a crouching figure in a rain jacket, touching water that mirrors their reflection. The mirrored double extends the illusion across the full facade. More!: 9 Martín Ron Murals That Redefine Urban Art🔗 Follow Martin Ron on Instagram
9. Serenity — JEKS ONE in Cincinnati, USA
A detailed mural of a woman with closed eyes, surrounded by flowers and rays of light painted like golden beams. The work combines photorealism with symbolic patterns. More!: 9 Amazing Murals by JEKS ONE That Blur the Line Between Paint and Reality🔗 Follow JEKS ONE on Instagram
More: Nothing But Amazing (8 Photos)
Which one is your favorite?
case_maclaim on Instagram: "| Funny Heartache | Boulonge-sur-Mer, France, 2025 for @streetart_boulognesurmer 10th #anniversary The #artwork explores the complex landscape of #female presence in #publicspace . It speaks to the #quiet burden of being told
4,971 likes, 343 comments - case_maclaim on August 21, 2025: "| Funny Heartache | Boulonge-sur-Mer, France, 2025 for @streetart_boulognesurmer 10th #anniversary The #artwork explores the complex landscape of #female presence in #publicspace .Instagram
SMOK on Instagram: ""A Glimpse of Humanity" In the midst of these dark times, my mural reflects the enduring power of love and humanity. The sorrow in the eyes of the mother chimpansee mirrors the pain and turmoil that surrounds us, while her joyful chil
1,059 likes, 134 comments - __smok__ on October 31, 2023: ""A Glimpse of Humanity" In the midst of these dark times, my mural reflects the enduring power of love and humanity.Instagram