Edsel B. Ford

1932

Diego M. Rivera Mexican, 1886 - 1957

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About the Artwork

In October 1932, Diego Rivera requested from the Ford Motor Company a photo showing Edsel Ford from the left side to help paint his portrait. The artist depicts Ford — the only child of Henry and Clara Ford — as a working designer. A compass, French curve, and pencil are arrayed on the drafting table in front of him, while a full-size sketch of a 1933 coupe hangs on the studio wall in the background.

Edsel Ford served as president of the Ford Motor Company from 1919 to 1943 and underwrote Rivera’s fee for the Detroit Industry Murals (in which he also appears, on the south wall). Rivera completed this modern portrait while he was in Detroit to paint the murals. By showing Edsel as a confident and fashionable modern designer, Rivera helped craft a public profile for a man often overshadowed by the outsized presence and complicated legacy of his father.

Title Edsel B. Ford

Artwork Date 1932

Artist Diego M. Rivera

Life Dates 1886 - 1957

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. Mexican

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. ----------

Medium Oil on canvas, mounted on masonite

Dimensions Unframed: 38 1/2 × 49 1/4 × 1 1/8 inches (97.8 × 125.1 × 2.9 cm) Framed: 40 5/8 × 51 1/8 × 2 1/2 inches (103.2 × 129.9 × 6.4 cm)

Classification Paintings

Department American Art before 1950

Credit Bequest of Eleanor Clay Ford

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 77.5

Markings

Signed Signed and dated, upper left. See inscriptions.

Inscriptions Inscribed, upper left, on blackboard: VERDADERO RETRATO/DEL SENOR EDSEL B. FORD/INGENIERO INDUSTRIAL/Y PRESIDENTE DE LA CO-/MISION DE ARTE DE LA/CIUDAD DE DETROIT,/ESTADO DE MICHIGAN,/E. U. DE AMERICA./LOPINTO Diego Rivera/EL MES DE NOVIEMBRE DE/1932 Translation: Realistic portrait of Mr. Edsel B. Ford, industrial engineer and president of the Arts Commission of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States of America. I, Diego Rivera, painted it in the month of November of 1932.

Provenance

1977-present, bequest to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

We welcome your feedback for correction and/or improvement.

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