Facts about Diego Rivera

1. 11

   Mexican muralist Diego Rivera's 1934 fresco at the Palacio de Bellas Artes titled Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park required him to repaint it in 1947 after the original was damaged during Mexico's political upheaval.

   Diego RiveraJun 6shareartmexicantwentieth-century
2. 10

   In 1922, Diego Rivera received his first major public commission painting the Bolivar Amphitheater mural at the Escuela Nacional Preparatoria in Mexico City, launching his muralist career.

   Diego RiveraMay 22shareartmuralismcommission
3. 09

   At age 21, Diego Rivera enrolled at the Academy of San Carlos in Mexico City and later won a government scholarship to study in Europe for nearly fourteen years between 1907 and 1921.

   Diego RiveraMay 21shareeducationbiographymexico
4. 08

   Rivera's 1949 mural Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park spans 15 by 4.76 meters and depicts Mexican historical figures including Frida Kahlo in a fantastical scene celebrating Mexican culture and identity.

   Diego RiveraMay 21shareartmexicomeasurement
5. 07

   Approximately 1.7 million visitors annually viewed Diego Rivera's 230 Detroit Industry Murals at the Detroit Institute of Arts during the 1980s, making them among the most visited artworks in North America.

   Diego RiveraMay 21shareartmexicomeasurement
6. 06

   Frida Kahlo's 1940 self-portrait The Two Fridas depicted her with Diego Rivera's heart between them, painted after their divorce was finalized that year.

   Diego RiveraMay 21shareartbiographyrelationship
7. 05

   Over 120 murals were created by Diego Rivera throughout his lifetime, covering approximately 1,300 square meters of wall space across Mexico, the United States, and the Soviet Union.

   Diego RiveraMay 21shareartmeasurementmexico
8. 04

   In 1929, Diego Rivera married photographer Tina Modotti while both were living in Mexico City after his return from the Soviet Union.

   Diego RiveraMay 21shareartbiographyrelationships
9. 03

   During his 1937 visit to the Soviet Union, Diego Rivera was disappointed to find that socialist realism had become the only acceptable artistic style, constraining the creative freedom he had anticipated.

   Diego RiveraMay 21sharearthistorypolitics
10. 02

    Between 1930 and 1934, Diego Rivera painted 27 panels across the Detroit Institute of Arts depicting the automotive industry and human labor.

    Diego RiveraMay 21shareartindustrialhistory
11. 01

    The 1933 Man at the Crossroads mural by Diego Rivera was destroyed at Rockefeller Center after the Rockefellers objected to its communist imagery featuring Lenin.

    Diego RiveraMay 21sharearthistorypolitics