Drawings

Diego Rivera took on some extraordinarily ambitious murals during his career, but these could never have been completed without serious prior planning. He was a highly skilled draughtsman who produced independent drawings as well as a series of study sketches for most of his major projects.

In line with the great variety of genres found in his mural frescoes, there was an equal breadth of work within his drawings. You will find bountiful numbers of portraits, landscapes and also his multi-figured scenes of peasant life.

A large number of these artworks have been added to the collections of major art institutions within both his native Mexico and also the United States. Despite being a proud Communist, an ideaology that most Americans would immediately reject out of hand, the artist's work remains particularly popular and his relationship with fellow artist, Frida Kahlo, continues to add intrigue to their respective lives.

MoMA holds one of the best selection of his drawings, with endless numbers of charming creatures found in simple, colourful drawings. The artwork displayed in this page was titled Red Snapper and was part of an overall costume design.