The new painting on the side of the Old Eagle pub

A GIANT replica of an all-time classic painting has appeared on the side of a backstreet pub. The new look next to the Old Eagle pub has Edward Hopper’s famous painting Nighthawks – depicting solitary, well-dressed drinkers at a bar – covering its side wall.

Artist Elvissey told the New Journal that he was asked to change his previous painting at the pub: a re-creation of the front room in The Simpsons which allowed passers-by to sit on the sofa via a painted communications box.

It had gone viral and residents complained that too many tourists were appearing for social media pictures each day.

The artist, who is from California but moved to Camden Town 23 years ago due to his love of Britpop, said: “I think it was just the neighbours were complaining. They didn’t like other people being there all the time. It got some good press so loads of people were coming. I think people would just fall out of the pub and they’re all loud and trying to get up on it late at night.

“Apparently someone came banging on their door at like 7am on a Saturday asking a resident to take a picture of them on the sofa. The whole time I was painting the Hopper one people would come up to me and ask ‘where’s the Simpsons thing?’ People were coming from literally all over the place to see it.”

SEE ALSO: (2022) IT’S SOFA, SO GOOD! SIMPSONS MURAL NEXT TO PUB LETS PEOPLE TAKE A SEAT

Resident Eamonn Davies who lives opposite agreed that lots of people would come to see the mural.

He said: “It was quite comical seeing people try to jump up the electricity box to get a photo and they just kept sliding off. “There were a good 100 visits a day. It went mad on social media. I can’t see why some people would find it annoying though, it’s quite far away from the houses.”

Elvissey said the wall leant itself to the Nighthawks painting, adding: “I just thought it looked really good in that place. And it’s famous. I thought that most people would recognise it.”

A new look at the Old Eagle pub

His zoomed-in version is a warmer rendition of the original, which is often thought to be a depiction of loneliness. “I don’t know if it’s retained on that wall, to be honest,” he said.

“That’s what you get from the painting which is a much wider shot, and you get more darkness and then it’s lit within so you kind of miss all that surrounding darkness on that wall.”

He added that street art in Camden is a “big draw” for tourists, and more could be done to promote it, such as the street art tours going round Brick Lane.

“That could definitely be done here,” Elvissey said.