Diego Rivera painted “Nude with Calla Lilies” in 1944 and it's one of the few works he did that year. Also known as Desnudo con alcatraces, it lacks the searing social and political commentary so frequently found in Rivera paintings. “Nude with Calla Lilies” was painted the same year as Day of the Dead. It was done just after his two great murals for the National Institute of Cardiology and before the enormous mural Great City of Tenochtitlan.

Throughout his sixty-year career, Mexican artist Diego Rivera (1886-1957) produced some of the most distinctive and socially powerful works in modern art. Most famous for his murals, his monumental frescos gave life to revolutionary themes, championing the causes of the oppressed. Rivera used portraiture throughout his career to make personal, artistic and political statements, as well as to convey his Communistic beliefs and opinions. In addition to being a painter, Rivera was also a skilled printmaker, sculptor and book illustrator.

Famous for his larger-than-life murals, Diego Rivera’s tempestuous persona and provocative political stance catapulted him to mythic proportions during his lifetime. As a passionate civil rights advocate, his art pays tribute to the toilers of the soil - farmers and laborers. Aiming to make his art easily viewable by the average Mexican, Rivera is credited with reintroducing the fresco, a mural painted on fresh plaster, into modern art and architecture. Rivera provided an alternative to elite galleries and museums, making his artwork and political messages accessible to anyone.

Female Nude from 1918-19 gives an example of the artist's fascination with Renoir, whom he credited with some of the most beautiful paintings ever done. In recognition of the enduring appeal of Rivera's work, we have to admit that many of his images defy verbal description. Suffice it to say that the rhythmic composition and intense color of this one have the magical ability to transport the viewer from a jostling crowd into a realm of sensual intimacy.