Diego Rivera was born on December 8, 1886, exactly 130 years ago today. The late Mexican artist is known around the world as one of the Three Great Mexican Muralists (Los tres grandes) together with José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros.

In addition to his massive and impressive murals that he is most known for and many of which are still standing today throughout Mexico and the world, Rivera also worked on many small-format paintings, portraits and stone murals. In celebration of his birthday, we present some of his pieces of work.

Man at the Crossroads

The original fresco was commissioned by American businessman John D. Rockefeller Jr., but was later destroyed after including a portrait of communist leader Vladimir Lenin. However, Rivera recreated the mural in Mexico City at the Palace of Fine Arts in 1934, where it can still be seen today. The piece is a highly politicized work of art that juxtaposes capitalistic and communist ideologies.

Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in the Alameda Central

One of his most famous large-scale murals was commissioned by the architect Carlos Obregón Santacilia in 1947 to decorate the restaurant at the Hotel Prado in Mexico City. The building suffered major damages in the 1985 earthquake, but the mural was saved and moved in 1987 to the Diego Rivera Mural Museum, which was built specifically to house the mural.

Diego Rivera's murals for Mexico's Ministry of Public Education

Diego Rivera began working on decorating the walls of the Ministry of Public Education's (SEP) main building. He painted several different subjects, such as the Passion of Jesus Christ, which Rivera argued would be appreciated by Mexicans due to their deeply religious views, and important figures in Mexico such as Cuauhtémoc, the last Aztec Emperor, and Emiliano Zapata, the revolutionary leader.

The Boy with the Taco, 1932

This piece was not a mural, but instead a lithograph, a technique that Diego Rivera also mastered throughout his career. In this piece, a young peasant boy is seen enjoying a taco, while a xoloitzcuintle (Mexican hairless dog) sits on his lap, staring at him eat. The xoloitzcuintle, which was revered by the Aztecs, was used by Diego Rivera in many of his artworks.

Stone mural in Acapulco

Although not as known, Diego Rivera also created many stone murals. One of his most famous stone murals is located in a private home that belonged to one of his closest friends, the art collector Dolores Olmedo. This piece has clear evidence of pre-hispanic influences, such as the xoloitzcuintle.

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