Emanuel Drops Plan To Sell Mural Worth Millions

CHICAGO — Mayor Rahm Emanuel has halted his plan to sell a multi-million dollar painting by local artist Kerry James Marshall. The funds from the sale of "Knowledge and Wonder" were going to be used to fund the expansion of a library on Chicago's West Side, but the mayor said he changed his mind, particularly after speaking with Marshall. Emanuel said that if the artist wasn't happy with the sale, it shouldn't go through.

Marshall said the sale would've sent the wrong message to local artists — that their work can be exploited and there's no reason for them to create works that represent their "civic pride."

The painting, which is owned by the City of Chicago, could be valued at between $10 and $20 million, the city said in a media release earlier this month.

The painting's sale was going to fund the expansion of Legler Branch Library at 115 S. Pulaski into a regional library. The city's North and South Sides have regional libraries, but the West Side hasn't had one in more than four decades.

The Legler library opened in 1920 and served as the system's first regional library until 1977, when it was closed for repairs and reopened as a traditional branch library.

The painting will go back on display at the Legler library as soon as possible, the city said.

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