Guadalupe Rivera Marin, daughter of world-renowned artist Diego
Rivera, received a standing ovation after being introduced to a
full crowd at the Satellite Student Union on Friday.
Esteban Cortez / The Collegian

Guadalupe Rivera Marin, the daughter of famous painter and muralist Diego Rivera, came to Fresno State last week to discuss her children’s book, “My Papa Diego and Me.”

The book is an intimate collection of stories from Rivera Marin’s childhood. In the book she discusses growing up with her famous father.

During her appearance at Fresno State, Rivera Marin talked about how her father’s love of painting began when he was 3 years old.

“He would paint on the floor, on the walls, in every single corner of his house that he could find,” Rivera Marin said. “He painted so much that his father had to dedicate a full room for him in which he had blackboards put around the room so that he would stop painting on the piano.”

Rivera Marin then discussed how her father’s paintings were influenced by experiences from his youth. Rivera’s family was forced to relocate to extreme poverty while he was young, and it was from this that he drew inspiration for the work that would later make him famous, she said.

Rivera was a prominent Mexican painter and muralist whose paintings are known for being vibrant in color and focusing on the indigenous and working class people of Mexico. Some of his most widely known paintings include “El Vendedor de Alcatraces,” “Nude with Calla Lillie” and “Peasants.”

Rivera Marin has written two books, both which focus on her iconic father. The first one, “Diego,” highlights her father’s early life and childhood. The second book, “Mi Papa Diego and Me,” focuses on her experiences growing up with her father and his career as a painter.