Diego Rivera Self Portrait, 1906.

Diego Rivera Retrospective Opens in Cleveland Diego Rivera: Art and Revolution opens next month at the Cleveland Museum of Art with assistance from the Ohio Arts Council. Rivera (1886-1957) is considered second only to Picasso among 20th-century artists in his productivity and influence. For this exhibition, nearly 120 works in a variety of media, including masterworks never before exhibited in the United States, are being lent by museums and private collectors in Europe, Japan and Mexico.

Rivera fused the innovations of European modernism with the traditions of Mexico's pre-Columbian past and its indigenous people. Famous and controversial in his own country and the United States, Rivera helped define the terms of a continuing Mexican-American cultural dialogue.

This exhibition follows Rivera's transformation from an academic painter trained in Mexico to his engagement with the European avant-garde. It explores Rivera's activities in Mexico and the United States, where he became legendary for his political art and his efforts to forge a new national identity for Mexicans of all races and backgrounds. The exhibition also examines Rivera's human-istic vision of progress toward a utopian society and the continuing dialogue in his art between political and aesthetic issues.

Diego Rivera: Art and Revolution is being organized by the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes through the Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes in Mexico and the Cleveland Museum of Art, in partnership with the Ohio Arts Council. The exhibition opens in Cleveland February 14 and runs through May 2, then travels to Los Angeles, Houston and Mexico City. For more information call the Cleveland Museum of Art at 216/421-7340.

Lesson in Neighborhood Revitalization

Stanley A. Lowe, who has received state and national honors for his contributions to revitalization of Pittsburgh's neighborhoods, will speak in Columbus January 27 in the series Growing Inward: Rebuilding the Center City, co-sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council. Lowe is director of neighborhoods and planning policy for the mayor of Pittsburgh and executive director of that city's Housing Authority.

In his presentation, Making Communities Whole, Lowe will discuss ideas and methods that can be used to promote diversity and the rebuilding of inner city neighborhoods. He has been director of the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation's Preservation Loan Fund, director of business development for Cranston Development Co. and a representative to the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group. Lowe will speak at the Columbus Athletic Club, 136 East Broad Street. For reservations call 614/841-8742.