Diego Rivera dirigiendo la (...). Circa 1951.

Diego Rivera directing the organization of a mural painting and sculpture in the Olympic Stadium of the University City of Mexico. Circa 1951.

Vintage gelatin silver print. Measurements: 20 x 24.7 cm / 7.87 x 9.72 in. Work in good condition, it is exhibited framed.

Built on the Pedregal site with the site's own volcanic stone, the stadium designed by the architects Pérez Palacio, Bravo Jiménez and Salinas Moro began to be built in 1950; a task that was completed two years later. In 1968 it was used in the Olympic Games and in 2007 UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site. With an oval design it was decided to equip it with paintings and wall sculptures made on the stone. In this context, Diego Rivera was hired, who worked the external surface of the stadium on the east side with a program that included "The University, family and sports in Mexico." It was a great allegory that articulated the cultural manifestations of pre-Hispanic Mexico with modern Mexico through sports, centered on family and peace.

In the realization of the shield of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, Rivera resorted to the lithic use of regional stones, the tezontle, the chiluca, the tecali and marbles. The photograph shows Rivera directing with a long stick the execution of his work on the silhouette of the mural, already drawn on the sloping wall of the stadium. Next to him there is a stonemason who works the cut of the stones.

The photographic work shows us an artist as relevant as Diego Rivera; a conjunction that thrills.

S.O.H-XI-LEM