The Politics & Controversies of Diego Rivera's Murals: The Rockefeller Center and the Detroit Industry Murals By Katie Tapia-Lynch Fall 2014 AH 5780: Debating Museums It was a time of increasing divide in the United States when Diego Rivera’s murals in Mexico captured the interest of the U.S. public during the late 1920s and early 1930s. Rivera visited the U.S. in the 1930s to complete multiple mural commissions, including the central courtyard of the Detroit Institute of Arts and the
Known as the prominent Mexican artist of the 20th century, Diego Rivera had a deep influence on the art world (Nordholm 1-3). Mexico had spent three centuries under European rule (the Spanish, and then the French) (Nordholm 1-3). For that reason, European culture set the standard for accomplishments in the arts. By painting national history, Rivera stated something that had been lost, neglected and rejected in the hundreds of years of foreign rule - a Mexican individuality. Indeed, the artist gave