Robert Winthrop Chanler's mural at Villa Vizcaya is on the brink of collapse, but a $750,000 National Park Service grant will initiate its much-needed restoration.
The mural was created with water-soluble paint on plaster, a baffling decision considering its location in Miami's humid environment, leading to rapid deterioration.
Chanler's fresco sought to immerse visitors in an undersea fantasy, incorporating shells and coral into the design, but environmental challenges quickly threatened its survival.
Commissioned in 1916, Chanler's ambitious mural project at the Villa Vizcaya swimming pool has only three surviving works on public display today.
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