When Diego Rivera unveiled a mural in New York featuring communist icons, it was torn down. When he finished a mural in the Detroit Institute of Art, it was saved despite having pro-union material. Edsel Ford was Rivera's patron, but why did Henry Ford let that piece remain as he was so anti-union?

by Squirmin
idjet

The Detroit Industry Murals were commissioned as public property at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). They were partially sponsored by Edsel Ford, but not owned by the family. Even so, the protest surrounding the DIA murals was religious, not political until the 1950s. Regardless, the murals were defended as representations of the spirit of technology, progress and labour in Detroit.