Hokusai’s ‘The Great Wave’ Takes Over Facades of Residential Towers in Moscow

Etalon City - Moscow - Hokusai Facade

Since it was first created, Hokusai's The Great Wave has been admired by artists and designers everywhere. Inspiring everything from origami paper to art history accessories, it's one of the world's most iconic Japanese woodblock prints. Now, The Great Wave is getting even bigger thanks to a project in Russia.

Moscow's new Etalon City development is bringing a little unique flair to its architecture. Six of the nine buildings will have Hokusai's iconic image splashed across their facades. With front facades totaling nearly 72,000 square yards (60,000 square meters), the six towers providing the canvas for The Great Wave are the development's most visible, as they face the highway. Recently released renderings, which have also been tweeted by Moscow's mayor Sergey Sobyanin, show how the imagery will be impressively laid out across the space.

Etalon City is located in the South Butovo region of southwest Moscow and includes residential buildings with space for commercial and social infrastructure. The remaining building facades will be decorated with imagery representing famous international cities like Barcelona, New York, Monaco, and Chicago.

The entire development, which spills over 35 acres (14.2 hectares), is nestled into the natural surroundings and is easily accessible thanks to a nearby metro station and several bus stops. The project is under construction, but the mayor has already heralded the towers as “a landmark in the area.”

A new development in Moscow will feature six towers emblazoned with Hokusai's The Great Wave.

The facades of the remaining residential buildings in Etalon City will feature symbols of iconic international cities.

Etalon City - Moscow

Etalon Group: Website
h/t: [Spoon & Tamago]

All images via Etalon Group.

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Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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