Diego Rivera (1886–1957) is a vivid presence in the history of art. With devoted political principles and a turbulent romantic history, he simultaneously served as the husband and protector of Frida Kahlo, a supporter and opponent of Stalin's Soviet Union, as well as the liberator and traitor of Leon Trotsky. Rivera's paintings are vibrant, graphic, and often monumental, bringing the same political and passionate intensity as his personal biography. Combining European influences such as Cubism with a socialist ideology and an exaltation of Mexico's indigenous and popular heritage, he created a new iconography for art and his country. He became one of the most important figures of the Mexican mural movement and gained international recognition for his public murals, in which he presented a utopian yet accessible vision of a post-revolutionary Mexico. In 1931, Rivera was the subject of MoMA's second monographic exhibition. This book explores the unique blend of influence and ideology that ensures Rivera's position as a unique yet universal painter, connected to the particularly tumultuous experience of the first half of the 20th century in Mexico, but also to themes such as revolution and class inequality that continue to resonate with us today.