The Detroit Industry Murals occupy all four walls of the Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts, painted in fresco between 1932 and 1933. The north and south walls depict the assembly of an automobile at the Ford River Rouge plant, with the workers' bodies forming a continuous mechanical rhythm. The other walls show pharmaceuticals, aviation, and agriculture. Rivera himself considered the cycle the most successful work of his career.
The Rivera Court is the centrepiece of the DIA visit and admission to the museum covers it. Take the time to walk slowly around all four walls — Rivera packed jokes, portraits of museum staff, and political symbols into the corners.