A mural honoring scientists hung in Pfizer’s NYC lobby for 60 years. Now it’s up for grabs

A metal mosaic mural created in 1960 by Greek-born artist Nikos Bel-Jon and titled “Medical Research Through the Ages” is in the lobby of the old Pfizer headquarters in New York on Thursday, August 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City mural honoring ancient and modern figures in medicine could end up in pieces if it can’t find a new patron soon. The metal and mosaic mural titled “Medical Research Through the Ages” has sat in midtown Manhattan since Pfizer opened the building in 1961. But now the office building is being converted into apartments. Pfizer didn’t want to move it elsewhere when the pharmaceutical company left, and the apartment developer doesn’t want to keep it. Fans and relatives of the late Greek American artist Nikos Bel-Jon are trying to find a new home for the metal mural, which is taller than a school bus and just as wide.