The Jonathan Gold Tributes Continue With Stunning New Santa Monica Mural

LA muralist Jonas Never has put up a moving new tribute mural to Los Angeles Times food critic Jonathan Gold, and Angelenos can now visit it at Margo’s in Santa Monica. Gold passed away Saturday from pancreatic cancer at age 57.

Never completed the lifelike mural in just eight hours. The piece stands at ten feet tall and is situated right outside Margo’s entrance. Parent company On the Verge Hospitality has long known Never, having worked with the artist on other projects, including a mural at sister restaurant Ashland Hill. In fact, Margo’s management was already in talks with Never about a possible mural at Margo’s before the artist reached out with the idea of paying a tribute to Gold.

Some social media users assumed Never would paint a Gold tribute on the abandoned LeBron James mural he briefly put up at the Santa Monica restaurant Baby Blues BBQ. A Photoshopped image of a potential mural even circulated around Twitter and Instagram for a while, but that never came to fruition.

Never is quickly becoming LA’s foremost muralist for fallen heroes. Only last month, Never painted an Anthony Bourdain mural at Gramercy Bar, and another for Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington at Rockin’ Pies in 2017.

Tributes to Gold continue to pour in elsewhere, be they flowers at Burritos La Palma or a stenciled image of the food writer’s silhouette permanently placed next to a booth at Guerrilla Tacos in the Arts District.

Margo’s

Margo’s

Margo’s. 1534 Montana Avenue, Santa Monica, CA.

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