Gigantic Prince Mural Coming to Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport

Rock 'Cyfi' Martinez's "I Would Die 4 U" will be featured

Prince mural
Rock Cyfi Martinez's mural “I would Die 4 U" will soon call MSP Airport home.
Rock Cyfi Martinez

It’s hard not to get a sense of history when you travel through Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Its two terminals are named Humphrey and Lindbergh, for one thing — a tip of the hat to a couple of people who grew up in the area and became nationally famous. This week, the airport will soon honor another beloved Minnesota figure: Prince.

CBSN Minnesota reports that Rock ‘Cyfi’ Martinez’s mural, titled I Would Die 4 U, is set to go on display in Terminal 1 at MSP this week, where it will hang until next January. Prior to this, the painting was displayed at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis and Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture. And it’s not small: 16 feet by 24 feet.

It’s also not the only Prince-centric space in the airport. There’s also a pop-up shop there featuring clothing and music from the legendary musician. Travelers seeking tickets to tour Paisley Park can also purchase them at the shop.

This painting isn’t Martinez’s first large-scale work depicting Prince. Shortly after Prince’s death in 2016, Martinez painted a large mural of the musician’s face on the side of a building in Minneapolis’s Uptown neighborhood. It stood roughly one story high.

At the time, Martinez spoke about the loss both he and the city felt in the wake of Prince’s death. “Minneapolis is hurting, the world is hurting,” he told The Current. “We’re losing a legend of art and music.” Art can serve as a powerful memorial, and Martinez’s tributes to Prince hit home in numerous ways.

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