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Diego Rivera, who's often referred to as one of the Three Great Muralists of Mexico together with José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros, died exactly 59 years ago today.
The Mexican painter died at the age of 71 and left behind a legacy that transcended international borders. In celebration of his life and impressive body of work, we share with you some interesting facts about his life and work.
1. Born on December 8, 1886, Rivera was baptized with a very, VERY long name: Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez.
2. He had a twin brother who died one and a half years after they were born. His name was Carlos María. His firstborn son, who was named after his father, suffered the same fate and died at the age of two.
3. He married Frida Kaho in 1929. She was xhis third wife. In 1940 they filed for a divorce, but then remarried later that year.
4. He was romantically involved with many women throughout his life. It's well known that the artist married four different women, Angelina Beloff, Guadalupe Marín, Frida Kahlo and Emma Hurtado, but had many extramarital relationships. For example, when he was married to Angelina Beloff, he had an affair with Marievna Vorobieva-Stebelska, with whom he had a daughter that he never accepted as her own, although he did support her financially. It's also widely known that he and Frida Kahlo had an open relationship. Frida Kahlo's sister, Cristina Kahlo, was one of his many lovers. The established photographer Tina Modotti, who was also a friend of Frida Kaho, was another.
5. Diego Rivera covered a wide range of topics through his paintings. For example, “El Canto General” was inspired by Pablo Neruda's poem of the same name. “La universidad, la familia mexicana, la paz y la juventud deportista” was paintied at the Olympic Stadium, where it still stands today. In 1933 he painted a mural for the American entrepreneur, Nelson Rockefeller, which was famously destroyed for depicting communist Lenin, which caused an uproar in the U.S.
6. However, Diego Rivera recreated the mural at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City, one of the many public spaces in Mexico that house Rivera's artwork to this day.
