Diego Rivera Ford Mural 1932-33
- Thread starter Richard
- Start date
Diego Rivera murals in the Ford Court yard at the Detroit Institute of Arts. As a child I used to go to this museum and sit in the court yard and look at these marvels. Everytime I went I saw something new. Rivera was entranced by the raw power and the fact that the workers at the Rouge River plant made such a good living for the times.
Too bad the Rockefellers couldn't get past the fact that Rivera was a communist(of sorts) and tore down the mural they commisioned for their new building in New York.
They couldn't get past him sticking in a likeness of Lennin. I believe there is one of Lennin in the Detroit murals as well.
Too bad the Rockefellers couldn't get past the fact that Rivera was a communist(of sorts) and tore down the mural they commisioned for their new building in New York.
They couldn't get past him sticking in a likeness of Lennin. I believe there is one of Lennin in the Detroit murals as well.
ford38v8
Well-known member
It was Edsel's doing, his money and his choosing of Diego. Edsel knew exactly the kind of mural Diego would be painting, and commissioned the murals with no restrictions. Rivera spent, I think, two weeks unescorted inside the Rouge, making notes and drawing sketches. The resulting murals were his scathing statement against the car industry,Democracy, the profit motive and greed at the expense of the health and the very lives of the workers.
As Henry Ford acknowledged that the Model T changed the way America lived and subsequently salvaged and preserved what he could in the way of education, dancing, medicine, hydro-electric power, and museum collections, I believe this was Edsel's way of acknowledging the cost of that change in human terms with Diego's depiction of the American Zombie workforce. This dual acknowledgement from these two Ford men has never really been explored in print to my knowledge, and i believe it to be a subject that is overdue. Henry Dominguez, are you reading this?
As Henry Ford acknowledged that the Model T changed the way America lived and subsequently salvaged and preserved what he could in the way of education, dancing, medicine, hydro-electric power, and museum collections, I believe this was Edsel's way of acknowledging the cost of that change in human terms with Diego's depiction of the American Zombie workforce. This dual acknowledgement from these two Ford men has never really been explored in print to my knowledge, and i believe it to be a subject that is overdue. Henry Dominguez, are you reading this?
wilmalcolm
Junior Member
The Detroit institute of Arts is mounting an exhibition about the Rivera murals. I looked online and couldn't find out when that will be. I am friendly with the curator who is working on that show and will get back to you with the dates. I'm sure there will be catalog accompanying the exhibition. Should be interesting.
ford38v8
Well-known member
Well, I've got egg on my face now.
Henry Dominguez tells me that he did in fact devote a whole chapter to the subject in his biography of Edsel.
I have the book and haven't got around to reading it yet.
Round-to-its seem to be getting scarce in my old age!
mrtexas
Well-known member
I don't blame them, Lenin was one of the most evil killers of thousands of people in history.
If you think Lennin was bad. Read up on Stalin. He makes Lennin look like a saint.
Plus at the time of the murals painting the truth in regards to lennin as well as other communist leaders hadn't really been revealed yet.
My understanding from talking to people that were alive during this time period and knew Rivera when he and his wife were in Detroit is that he thought that the workers at the Rouge were well off and the immense power of the place fascinated him. Rivera was also a big supporter of industrialization as a way for the masses to move forward. He considered these murals to be his greatest.
Must be I heard it wrong.
Side note.
I believe he replicated the destroyed Rockafeller murals some where in Mexico.
Torchie.
Plus at the time of the murals painting the truth in regards to lennin as well as other communist leaders hadn't really been revealed yet.
My understanding from talking to people that were alive during this time period and knew Rivera when he and his wife were in Detroit is that he thought that the workers at the Rouge were well off and the immense power of the place fascinated him. Rivera was also a big supporter of industrialization as a way for the masses to move forward. He considered these murals to be his greatest.
Must be I heard it wrong.
Side note.
I believe he replicated the destroyed Rockafeller murals some where in Mexico.
Torchie.
If you think Lennin was bad. Read up on Stalin. He makes Lennin look like a saint.
At the time of the murals painting the truth in regards to lennin as well as other communist leaders hadn't really been revealed yet. Plus Rivera considered himself a Marxist. Which i suppose is a fine point to make.
Most of the uproar came in regards to what the local clergy considered the blasphemous way Christianity is portrade in some of the panels.
My understanding from talking to people that were alive during this time period and knew Rivera when he and his wife were in Detroit is that he thought that the workers at the Rouge were well off and the immense power of the place fascinated him. Rivera was also a big supporter of industrialization as a way for the masses to move forward. He considered these murals to be his greatest.
Must be I heard it wrong.
Side note.
I believe he replicated the destroyed Rockafeller murals some where in Mexico.
Torchie.
At the time of the murals painting the truth in regards to lennin as well as other communist leaders hadn't really been revealed yet. Plus Rivera considered himself a Marxist. Which i suppose is a fine point to make.
Most of the uproar came in regards to what the local clergy considered the blasphemous way Christianity is portrade in some of the panels.
My understanding from talking to people that were alive during this time period and knew Rivera when he and his wife were in Detroit is that he thought that the workers at the Rouge were well off and the immense power of the place fascinated him. Rivera was also a big supporter of industrialization as a way for the masses to move forward. He considered these murals to be his greatest.
Must be I heard it wrong.
Side note.
I believe he replicated the destroyed Rockafeller murals some where in Mexico.
Torchie.