Diego Rivera was a Mexican painter and muralist born in 1886 in Guanajuato, Mexico. He studied art from a young age and furthered his skills in France, Italy, and Spain, where he was influenced by cubism. Rivera married Angelina Beloff in 1909 and they had a son together, though the child died young. He later had a daughter with another woman. In 1922, Rivera met Frida Kahlo when painting a mural at her school, and they married in 1929. Their marriage was tumultuous but based on their shared passion for art and Mexican culture. In 1934, Rivera faced criticism when he included a portrait of Lenin in a mural for Rockefeller Center in New York

1. Diego Rivera
By: Regina Salazar and Rogelio Garcia
203

2. Origins
Diego María de la Concepción Juan
Nepomuceno Estanislao de Rivera y Barrientos
Acosta y Rodríguez was born on Guanajuato
(December 8, 1886) .
His father: Diego Rivera
His mother: María del Pilar Barrientos.

3. Profession
He was a painter and a muralist, he made art
that reflected the lives of the working class
and native people from Mexico.
He painted all types of art at his time.

4. Studies
At age 11 he joined the National School of Fine Arts ,
becoming a student of prestigious artists .
By 1909 , he traveled to France where he entered to the
Paris Arts Academy. With the pass of the years he traveled
to Italy to learn renaissance style, and to Spain where he
befriended with Picasso and studied cubism at its finest.

5. Relationships
In 1909 he traveled to Paris where he met Angelina
Petrovna Belova, knew as Angelina Beloff. Native from the
USSR she would marry Diego and have a relation for 10
years. In 1916 she will give birth to Diego´s first son
named Diego, however , the child died the following year .

6. Relationships
In 1919 a daughter was born the fruit of Diego´s
extramarital affairs with Marievna Vorobieva Stebelska .
Named as Marika Rivera Vorobieva she was never
recognized by his father but at least financially sustained by
him.

7. Frida
After many failed relations with other
painters, Diego finally met Frida in 1922.
The first meeting was spontaneous, Diego
was painting a mural in the National High
School and Frida was a student.

8. Frida
They quickly began to share their passion for
art and they marry in 1929. Their marriage
was based on love, hate, creation, critics,
relations with other people and the
appreciation for mexican roots.

9. Rockefeller incident
During a mural design, was the leader of the
communist revolution, Vladimir Ilich
Ulianov Lenin. Rockefeller couldn’t stand
this, so he demanded Diego to remove him
from the painting, so he decided to burn the
mural because Diego´s decision was
contrary to the order.

10. Trotsky
In 1937 Leon Trotsky arrived to Mexico thanks to
the political assylum given to him by the Mexican
government one year before. Based on their left
hand ideas Diego and Frida received him in their
house. He was kicked out two years later from the
house by Diego´s suspicions about a romance
between the Russian insurgent and Frida.