Diego Rivera is best known for his expansive and politically radical murals -- and for his famous love affair with artist Frida Kahlo. Rivera studied painting in Mexico before going to Europe in 1907. While in Europe he took up cubism and had exhibitions in Paris and Madrid in 1913; he had a show in New York City in 1916. In 1921 he returned to Mexico, where he undertook government-sponsored murals that reflected his communist politics in historical contexts. In 1929 he married Kahlo, and their tempestuous marriage got to be as famous as their art. In the 1930s and '40s Rivera worked in the United States and Mexico, and many of his paintings drew controversy. His 1933 mural for RCA in New York featured a portrait of communist leader V. I. Lenin, resulting in its destruction in 1934, and a 1948 painting in Mexico that included the words "God does not exist" was covered and held from public view for nine years. Rivera's talent for historical murals and his tributes to folk traditions made him one of the most influential artists in the Americas and Mexico's most famous 20th century painter.

Extra credit: One of his most famous works is a tribute to workers in Detroit, Michigan, commissioned in 1932 by Henry Ford... Rivera was born a twin, but his brother, Carlos María, died before he turned two.

                       

Courtesy of: www.who2.com/diegorivera.html