The Magnificent Diego Rivera Murals at Detroit Institute of Arts

Inside the Detroit Arts of Institute (aka DIA), one can find the magnificent Diego Rivera Murals spanning the whole court from top to bottom, from side to side, and from corner to corner. You don’t need to be an artist nor an art freak to understand what the massive murals are all about. Diego Rivera’s work hides no symbolisms in tiny details but he painted it that even ordinary citizens can decipher what he was trying to convey.

At first, I was awed at its size and magnificence. It’s truly impressive and beyond awesome. As I went around the court, I got the sense of his art. I suddenly felt both the workers and the machines on the wall were painstakingly working and moving along with me. It didn’t take a while that I ultimately heard the noise that comes with the industry.

Diego Rivera’s murals are visually-stunning as they are visually-symbolic for a piece of art that expressively shows birth, progress, politics, and tragedies—all in the same space, but divided into twenty-seven panels.

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Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Diego Rivera came to Detroit during the Great Depression in the country’s history. 

Diego Rivera Murals Detroit Institute of Arts DIA
The Diego Rivera Murals Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

At the very center of Detroit Institute of Arts, he created a tribute to industry and workers.

Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).
Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts.

These murals reveal Diego Rivera’s fascination with industrial processes….

Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).
Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

….and his critique of the political and social realities of capitalist enterprise.

Things to do in Detroit, Michigan
Inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

He was a Marxist who believed that art shouldn’t be in the art galleries but outside for the people to see.

Things to do in Detroit, Michigan
Inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

While his wife, the renowned Frida Kahlo, painted to survive…

Diego Rivera Murals Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

 

… he painted for his people in Mexico.

Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).
Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

The murals assert the benefits of industrial processes but warn of their destructive side effects.

Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).
Diego Rivera Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

The aviation industry produces planes for war as well as for travel.

Diego Rivera Murals Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

Scientific discoveries allow us to fight disease….

Things to do in Detroit, Michigan
Inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). / Detroit Industry Murals

….and create poison gases.

Diego Rivera Murals Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

The scenes of Michigan industry—from chemical production to car manufacturing—are all accompanied by images of natural structures and processes.

Detroit Industry Mural at DIA (Michigan).
Detroit Insudtry Murals inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).

Rivera also reminds us that all human endeavor is rooted in the natural world.

Diego Rivera Court Mural Detroit Institute of Arts DIA 17

And in a prominent position facing the museum’s Woodward entrance, Rivera painted an infant in the bulb of a plant nourished by the earth.

Diego Rivera Court Mural Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

There are four huge human figures of various races: Europeans, Asians…

Diego Rivera Court Mural Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

… native Americans…

Diego Rivera Court Mural Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

… and Africans.

Diego Rivera Court Mural Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

And then, there’s Henry Ford. 

Diego Rivera Court Mural Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

It took 11 months for Diego Rivera to finish the mural. 

Detroit Industry Mural at Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

Enjoy the rest of the photos. 

Detroit Industry Mural at Detroit Institute of Arts DIA
Detroit Industry Mural at Detroit Institute of Arts DIA
Detroit Industry Mural at DIA (Michigan).

Check out DIA’s website to see what evening shows they have at the Diego Rivera Mural court. I was lucky when I went there on Friday. They had jazz performances in two segments.  

Detroit Industry Mural at Detroit Institute of Arts DIA

KeepCalmAndWander

A wanderer. A frustrated photographer. Hiker. Lover. Half extrovert, half introvert. Solo traveler.

4 Comments

    • Johnson,
      I’ve seen the movie but I couldn’t remember the scene, but, yeah, maybe it’s there. It’s me getting old. Lol…

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