Chicago, IL - January 3, 2009 -

In 1966, Dom "Etienne" Orejudos created "The Gold Coast Man" mural to decorate the walls and promote the legendary Gold Coast Bar in Chicago.  Erotic, exciting and historic on its own, the mural was used to create the first ever four-color poster to promote a Leather Bar.  One of those posters still hangs in the Argos Bar in Amsterdam as well as many other leather bars throughout the world. After gracing the walls of four different Gold Coast locations, the mural was sold shortly after the last Gold Coast closed in the spring of 1988. On June 9, 1988 Chuck Renslow sold the mural to help pay for the health care of his lover and the mural's creator Dom "Etienne" Orejudos who was dying of AIDS. 

 

The Gold Coast Man was just purchased by the Leather Archives and Museum, the only organization in the world dedicated to saving and exhibiting the history and art of the leather tribe.  Twenty-one years later, The Gold Coast Man has rejoined the other Gold Coast Bar murals, all of which are now on permanent loan to the Leather Archives and Museum. Come into the Leather Archives & Museum today and visit the Etienne Auditorium where you can view The Gold Coast Man and Etienne's other famous murals from the Gold Coast Bar. For more information about the work of Dom "Etienne" Orejudos and the Leather Archives and Museum visit www.leatherarchives.org.