Montreal cartoonist deeply frustrated after mural was vandalized

Cartoonist Michel Rebagliati says it's painful to see his own work vandalized.

“Who do you think you are to take out your spray can and leave your name here?” he said, adding that it's deeply frustrating to see.

The mural on the corner of Mont-Royal Avenue and St-Hubert Street was painted by Rebagliati about two years ago. It shows a man gazing into a bookstore window where Christmas lights hang.

It's based on the character Paul from Rebagliati’s comic strip series of the same name.

Seeing the mural defaced is disappointing for some residents.

Rabagliati says what he finds most upsetting is that he was commissioned to paint this piece for a local bookstore in the plateau called la Bouquinerie.

“The owner of the bookstore paid out of his own pocket to have this nice street corner and then someone came along and ruined it,” he says.

This isn't the first time a public artwork is tagged by graffiti in Montreal, says city councillor Alex Norris.

“It's always a problem to see this kind of mindless tagging at the best of times so to see this work of art vandalized is particularly deplorable,” he says.

Norris adds it's especially disappointing given Rebagliati’s importance within the Quebec and Montreal art scene.

“He's a really respected artist in the community and we're going to do everything required to ensure that that mural is cleaned up as soon as the temperature allows it,” he says.

While Rebagliati sees the beauty in some graffiti, he believes it shouldn't be done at the expense of others.

“I'm all for people doing this on paper, on canvas or in designated spaces. But on private property, it's just vandalism,” he says.

The city says it is rethinking what can be done to tackle graffiti tagging.

In hopes of better preserving its public artworks.