A mural by Gamma on the north-facing wall of the Monkey Barrel, soon to be demolished. Lindsey Bartlett

Murals have been blooming like Denver's cherry blossom trees this spring. No sooner had we settled on our award-winning mural in the Best of Denver 2016 than amazing street art started popping up around town. Here are the ten best new street-art murals of 2016 (so far)... 

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A new mural by Dread on the Horseshoe Lounge. Lindsey Bartlett

10. Dread
Horseshoe Lounge
414 East 20th Avenue
Dread is the mastermind behind the new gallery Four Site; he also happens to be the creator of the largest street-art festival in the state, Colorado Crush. For his recent birthday, Dread painted this mural on the east-facing wall at Horseshoe Lounge; the ethereal character sits next to a fresh and brilliantly executed freestyle.

A mural by Joseph Martinez on Crow Bar. Lindsey Bartlett

9. Joseph Martinez
Crow Bar
4395 Yates Street
Although he's known for his mastery of small-scale artwork, Joseph Martinez has created another large-scale mural with this beautiful crow on the wall of Crow Bar, a new bar in Berkeley that took the spot of Nip N Sip (and the Rosa Mia Inn before that). Martinez is also acclaimed for his art on matchbooks, as well as his mural work with Palabros, a trio featuring Martinez, Jaime Molina and Pedro Barrios. Look for more work from Martinez this summer in association with the Urban Arts Fund.

A new mural by Gamma Gallery at Monkey Barrel. Lindsey Bartlett

8. Gamma 
Monkey Barrel
1611 Platte Street
See this while you can, because this building on Platte Street won't be around long. That means we'll not only lose the original Monkey Barrel, but the amazing street art that Gamma Gallery has painted on the exterior of the doomed space. He started with a portrait of Peyton Manning, then added the Vince Lombardi trophy after our Super Bowl 50 win. His latest mural, behind trees on the north-facing wall, is a gorgeous female artist named Zaira Estrada, the second in a series featuring street-art portraits of real Colorado Creatives. The Monkey Barrel will be resurrected in Sunnyside this summer. 

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A fresh stunner now on the Cold Crush wall. Lindsey Bartlett

7. Faatma Norouzizadeh and Alicia Cardenas 
Cold Crush
2700 Larimer Street
The patio wall at Cold Crush is a revolving door of beautiful art. Right now it's serene and colorful, thanks to new work by Faatma Norouzizadeh and Alicia Cardenas, finished just in time for spring. Bien fait. 

Love this new piece by Hex found on the Franklin Street SHR alleyway wall. Lindsey Bartlett

6. Art by Hex
In the alleyway in between 36th and 37th avenues, and Humboldt and Franklin streets
This new piece by Hex graces an ever-changing wall that's frequently painted by the SHR crew but invites new perspectives and new artists throughout the year. This new rendition is a favorite, featuring a tall traveler character by Hex. When you check him out, you'll also see some fresh new graf tags in wildstyle to the north. 

Continue reading to find five more of the best new murals in Denver.