JOURNAL ARTICLE

From the Motor City to a Mural City: The legacy of Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry.

  • Published In: Art & the Public Sphere, 2024, v. 13, n. 1. P. 29 1 of 3

  • Database: Art Source Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Flattley, Megan 3 of 3

Abstract

This article examines Diego Rivera's 1933 Detroit Industry mural cycle as a contested cultural site both at its creation and during Detroit's 2013 municipal bankruptcy. Rivera's murals, commissioned by industrialist Edsel Ford and housed in the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), depict a multi-racial working class integrated with industrial machinery, reflecting Rivera's Marxist politics and aspirations for labor solidarity amid racial segregation. During the 2013 bankruptcy, debates over selling the DIA's collection to cover municipal debts raised questions about art's social value versus its financial worth, with socialist organizers invoking Rivera's imagery to assert art as a social right. The article further explores how Detroit's contemporary urban revitalization efforts have instrumentalized public murals—including Rivera's legacy—as tools for economic development and city branding, highlighting tensions between corporate patronage, artistic autonomy, and working-class representation.

Additional Information

  • Source:Art & the Public Sphere. 2024/04, Vol. 13, Issue 1, p29
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Arts and Entertainment
  • Publication Date:2024
  • ISSN:2042-793X
  • DOI:10.1386/aps_00104_1
  • Accession Number:183462289
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