When Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Goes Awry: Nelson Rockefeller v Diego Rivera, The Rockfeller Center, New York, May 1933 | The British Newspaper Archive Blog

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When Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Goes Awry: Nelson Rockefeller v Diego Rivera, The Rockfeller Center, New York, May 1933

We were very interested in this quirky story about the removal of a controversial mural from the RCA Building in New York in 1933.

The Mexican artist, Diego Rivera had been commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller to paint a mural in the RCA Building, which was the centrepoint of the Rockefeller Center.

The painting, entitled ‘Man at the Crossroads’, contained a large portrait of Lenin, which, ahem, did not go down very well with a very surprised Nelson Rockefeller.

As the Rockefeller Center is a citadel of capitalism, the feeling was that it probably wasn’t the best place for a massive portrait of Lenin – admittedly, that perspective likely depends on your political viewpoint!

However, Rivera refused to remove Lenin from his mural, hence the fascinating kerfuffle that followed.

Nottingham Evening Post – Thursday 11 May 1933

Image © Northcliffe Media Limited. Image created courtesy of THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD.

http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000321/19330511/050/0010

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