Diego Rivera

by Manuel Aguilar-Moreno and Erika Cabrera

Published 20 October 2011
This revealing biography covers the life and art of painter Diego Rivera.

Diego Rivera: A Biography presents a concise but substantial biography of the famous and controversial Mexican artist. Chronologically arranged, the book examines Rivera's childhood and artistic formation (1886–1906), his European period (1907–1921), and his murals of the 1920s. It looks at the work he did in the United States (1930–1933) and follows his career from his subsequent return to Mexico through his death in 1957.

Drawing from primary source materials, the book reveals facts about Rivera's life that are not well known or have not been widely discussed before. It explores his tempestuous marriage to renowned painter Frida Kahlo and looks at controversial works, such as Rivera's 1933 mural for the RCA Building at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, which featured a portrait of Communist party leader Vladimir Lenin, and was officially destroyed the following year.