Looks like a deal may have been struck to keep Detroit’s bankruptcy proceedings from selling off one of the world’s most important art treasures, Mexican muralist DIEGO RIVERAS Detroit Industry fresco cycle as a tribute to the citys manufacturing base and workers. Michigan’s House approved spending to help prevent disastrous cuts to city retiree pensions and the sell off of works in the Detroit Institute of Arts, which include the Rivera murals. Rivera (1886–1957) completed the twenty-seven panel work in 11 months, from April 1932 to March 1933. Together they surround the Rivera Court in the Detroit Institute of Arts. In 1932 Edsel Ford, Henrys son and president of the car company, and William Valentiner, the director of the Detroit Institute of Arts, commissioned Rivera to paint two murals for the museums Garden Court. The only rule was the work must relate to the history of Detroit and the development of industry. Rivera and his wife, painter FRIDA KAHLO, arrived in Detroit and studied the Ford automotive plant on the Rouge River. The factory so fascinated and inspired Rivera that he soon suggested painting all four walls of the Garden Court, believing that art belonged on public walls rather than in private galleries, so it would be accessible to a large audience. The faces in the murals are those of workers Rivera saw on the line.
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 10:42:41 +0000
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