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Volume 076-2 - April 2022 (4 pages)
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Page: of 4
Diego Rivera’s Historic
Visit to Nevada County
By Elinor Barnes
Use of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo’ works is granted
to the Nevada County Historical Society Bulletin by the
Banco de Mexico Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust,
administered by the Artists Rights Society, New York. No
further use of the images is authorized.
Diego Rivera, c. 1910, courtesy Wikipedia Commons.
‘Nevada County Historical society
Bulletin
VOLUME 76 APRIL 7,
three influential sponsors to obtain an entrance visa for
him: San Francisco businessman William Gerstle, art
collector and patron Albert Bender, and art collector
Timothy Pflueger. Despite this political problem, Rivera
obtained several contracts in the United States and
worked here for a total of five years. One assumes his
enormous talent overcame political issues.
NUMBER 2
During his San Francisco visit Rivera came to Nevada
County to work on sketches of the mining industry and
community. While completing his studies, he stayed at
Nevada City’s National Hotel and spent a good deal of
time at the Empire Mine. Articles in the Morning Union
newspaper confirmed his stay.
There are several reasons why Rivera may have decided
to visit Nevada County. The first was his friendship with
Helen Moody, a famous tennis star of the 1930s. Moody
was the sister-in-law of Agnes Bourn, wife of William
Bourn, who owned the Empire Mine, so there was a personal connection. The second possible reason might have
been Rivera’s close friendship with muralist Raymond
Boynton, who worked at the Empire Mine in 1926 and
spent a good deal of time visiting the area. Boynton is
known to have spent the summer of 1932 in Grass Valley
sketching scenery around the Empire Mine.
As is indicated by . So
his own words, Local: Mining Scenes
Rivera’s interest Used by Artist for Mural
It came as quite a surprise to local historians when
recent information came to light indicating that Diego
Rivera, a famous artist and muralist, had visited Grass
Valley and Nevada City in December of 1930. Accompanied by his equally famous wife, Frida Kahlo, Rivera
came to California to fulfill two mural painting commissions in San Francisco. One was for the San Francisco Art Institute, the other for the San Francisco Stock
Exchange Tower.
As a communist in the 1930s, Rivera’s presence was
not appreciated by everyone. It took the backing of
in mining was
inspired by his
personal background. He was
born in Guanajuato, Mexico, which
was an important
silver mining area.
His father owned
two silver mines,
El Durazno and
Los Locos. Rivera
had already used
miners as subjects
on murals painted
in Mexico. Rivera
ist, who with Ralph Stackpole recent' ly visited this section in search of
Frescoes in Bay City
The gold mining country of Neyada County is to be the inspiration
of Diego’ Rivéra, noted Mexican artsketches: depicting mining. Rivera
has been selected to paint the mural
frescoes for the Stock Exchange
Luneh Club quarters in San Fran,
cisco. .
They will represent the three great
industries of Califernia—mining, agriculture and horticulture. The great
artist was very much impressed with
this section of the state, and expressed himself as quite satisfied with material which he obtained here.
Morning Union (Grass Valley),
December 10, 1930, 2.