Last-minute reprieve for a famous mural in Mijas that's now hidden behind a huge wall

Pablo Ruano, son of the artist Dámaso Ruano's, has sought accountability from the authorities in Mijas after discovering that decades-old artwork designed by his late father has disappeared behind a wall. The mural designed by the artist, who died in 2014, is some twenty metres long and was created to complement the Las Lagunas sports complex. Despite its size, it has been rendered invisible with the construction of the wall, which had not been announced to nor agreed with Ruano's family.

It should be noted that Dámaso Ruano was awarded a top honour of the city of Malaga and the title of 'adopted son' for serving as a reference in 20th-century contemporary art in the province.

"It was in 2016 that I last went to see the mural and even then I noticed that it was deteriorating, without any maintenance, and that the colours were very faded. So I sent a letter to Mijas town hall, with the original photo of the mural and asked them to take care of it, so that could be returned to its original state. They didn't even answer me," said Pablo Ruano.

The surprise came when, a few days ago, he went back and found that the mural was gone. In its place was a wall. "When I looked carefully, I realised that they had covered it up - they had raised the wall right in front ot it, but the mural was still behind it. I saw that it was damaged and missing pieces," said the artist's son, who immediately sent a new letter to the town hall and shared his complaint on his social media networks.

"It's a beautiful, modern sports mural, and they've 'taken it down' without permission," said Pablo.

His plea for help didn't fall on deaf ears this time, as the town hall has responded. According to municipal sources, the mural was in the area where extension works of the Las Lagunas sports complex were being carried out. These works, which began in 2019 with a project from 2018, have had their ups and downs over time. In the last municipal mandate, a modification of the project was agreed and a new company started work in the area in January 2023.

The council's current governing team, which was elected 14-months, distanced themselves from the work and, therefore, from the design of a building project that did not consider Dámaso Ruano’s mural, but rather ignored it. They pointed to the previous PSOE and Cs mandates as responsible for that decision.

However, the town hall said, "this local government team has an unavoidable commitment to preserve the work of art, which forms part of the municipal heritage", and this will be stated in a new contract that will continue works in the area. Likewise, "it should be the will of the local authorities to meet with the artist's family to determine the next step with regard to the mural by the brilliant Dámaso Ruano".