Poor Guy!

The removal and destruction of Rivera’s mural at Rockefeller Center was wrong. I blame Rockefeller’s low confidence level for the murals destruction. I believe Rockefeller was too worried about the opinion of the location’s visitors and fellow Americans rather than considering the message that the Communistic mural stood for. This mural was intended to represent social, political, industrial, and scientific possibilities in the 20^th century. The background of the mural included a large May Day demonstration of workers marching with red banners (Communistic symbol). The controversy arose over the featured leader of the demonstration, Lenin. Rockefeller asked Rivera to feature an American in the mural, but Rivera and his aides refused.

When considering whether this mural should’ve remained, I can’t help but to compare the situation to that of the Statue of Liberty. Built in France, the statue resides in New York City as arguably the largest representation of freedom in America. Despite it being built somewhere else, the message it carries and the worth it has to Americans remains unchanged. The same should go for the mural. The mural, as a single entity, represents all four categories and the uncertainty that lies ahead in the 20^th century. I can’t imagine the cultural and historical significance it would’ve had after the Cold War and the containment of Communism if it hadn’t ben destroyed. It was not only a spectacular piece of art, but a metaphorical memento of America’s influence in history.