An artwork by Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez that decorated a crosswalk in Coral Gables, Florida, has been removed according to a new directive issued by the Florida Department of Transportation (FOT) that prohibits public artwork “associated with social, political, or ideological messages or images.”
The statewide memo issued June 30 by the FOT targeted “pavement or surface art – or any markings not directly supporting traffic control or public safety – on crosswalks and travel lanes, including pavement surface art.”
In 2017, during that year’s Art Basel art fair, Carlos Cruz-Diez presented a public artwork in Coral Gables titled Induction Chromatique. The work replaced two asphalt crosswalks in front of City Hall with orange, purple, green, and blue interlocking chevron patterns.
After its initial temporary installation, the city acquired the crosswalk designs for a total of $180,000, and committed to spend $18,000 annually for maintenance. The purchase was funded by the city’s Art in Public Places program. Last month, according to a report from the South Florida public radio station WLRN, both crosswalks were unceremoniously painted over.
In the end, the Cruz-Diez mural may have faded on its own. According to the WLRN report, the city had lost touch with the artist’s foundation and hadn’t paid the fee to maintain the crosswalks for the past two years. (Cruz-Diez died in 2019.)
Cruz-Diez, a Kinetic and Op art pioneer, is one of the best-known Venezuelan avant-garde artists. Chromosaturation, an immersive installation, will be on view at the Pérez Art Museum Miami, a short drive from Coral Gables, starting October 2, 2025.
