By Gary Berton 

Diego Rivera was a famous Mexican artist in the first half of the 20th century. He excelled in large public murals, and also did hundreds of paintings on a smaller scale. He died in 1957 in Mexico City. 

His most controversial project was the mural he created for the Rockefeller Center in New York City. His politics were overlooked by the Rockefeller family (Rivera was a member of the Communist Party in the 1930s), because of his celebrity, but Rivera refused to compromise his politics, and eventually the mural was destroyed rather than be exhibited. The title of the work was Man at the Crossroads, and it depicted workers, with social and political choices visibly represented. When he inserted figures like Lenin and Trotsky, it put an end to the project.

Rivera anticipated that his mural would be destroyed before it could be displayed, which it was. So Rivera had pictures taken, in black and white, of the panels, and the whole mural. He then returned to Mexico and re-created the mural for the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. He renamed it Man, Controller of the Universe. See below: 

As part of the exhibit at the Thomas Paine Memorial Building, we included the panel that depicts the American Revolution. This panel did not become part of Rivera’s final production for Mexico City, as it pertained to the U.S. The only thing that remains of it is the black and white photo. Here is Rivera working on this panel in 1933: 

The panel can be seen at top of this article.

The knowledge that Rivera displays here is impressive. He must have studied Paine to grasp his significance, his close relationship to Franklin (standing next to him), his foundational principle of equality as the basis of his thought (with all the races standing together pointing to Rights of Man), the significance of Crispus Attucks being martyred, and the militant attitude toward a foreign power invading a supposedly weaker country.

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By Margaret Downey, President of the Thomas Paine Memorial Association 

The Thomas Paine Memorial Association (TPMA) is pleased to announce that an important Congressional procedure has resulted in the advancement of House Bill 6720. 

Every proposed Washington, D.C. monument and museum must be presented to the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC) for consideration. The members of the Commission vote on whether or not the proposal has merit and is deserving of their endorsement. TPMA spokespersons conducted a presentation to NCMAC on July 27, 2022. The below link will take you to a recording of the actual hearing, discussion and vote. 

Spoiler alert! The NCMAC Commissioners unanimously voted to endorse and support a memorial project dedicated to the life and work of Thomas Paine! Don’t let this momentous news keep you from enjoying the film, however. 

In the film you’ll see presentations from (in order of appearance) Congressman Jamie Raskin, Mark Dann, myself, Gene Jones, Karen Heineman, Mandisa Thomas, and Charis Hoard. We’re sure you’ll enjoy the variety of viewpoints and gain an appreciation of why we’re working so hard to finally have Thomas Paine recognized for his important work. It was a joy to also hear the compliments and additions made by each of the Commissioners.

If this news and/or film inspire you to extend your support of House Bill 6720, please know that TPMA is in need of help reaching State Representatives to request that they become a sponsor. Please visit the below link to see if your Representative is already a sponsor: 

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6720/cosponsors?r=8&s=1

I would be happy to work with you on how to approach your Representative. Please feel free to contact us for more information. Also, please let us know if you have any interest in becoming a member of the House Bill 6720 presentation team. All volunteers are welcomed.

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