Tribute to Diego Rivera

Tribute to Diego Rivera by artists Jane Golden and Dietrich Adonis is located in the Spring Garden neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Created in 1990 as part of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network, this mural pays tribute to Diego Rivera, one of the 20th century’s most influential muralists, known for his murals honoring Mexico’s farmers and laborers. The community of Spring Garden, where the mural is located, contacted Golden and asked her to do a mural similar to one she had done at 27th and Mt. Vernon Streets.

During the time Golden was painting the mural, she held workshops on Diego Rivera in a building down the street and kept books of the artist’s work on the scaffolding for passersby to view.

In the mural, people of all races surround the big banquet table in the center. The garden represents the bounty of life, and the other side panel shows people working together to build a city.

Mural Arts hosted a small private mural dedication for the artist and Dr. Lupe Rivera Marin (Rivera’s daughter), who was in town to give a talk at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Dr. Marin and her colleagues remarked that Rivera would have loved the mural and, in particular, the fact that it is located in the heart of a neighborhood. Later that evening, Marin gave a gallery talk at the Hyder Gallery where she spoke passionately about the history of public art as well as future directions and responsibilities for public art / artists.

In December 2006, artist Delia King completed a major restoration of the mural.