The murals in the lobby of Coit Tower have an interesting
story of their own. They were commisioned in 1934 by the Public Works of Art
Project (PWAP), a government funded program designed to keep artists employed
during the Great Depression. The murals depict life in modern California and
they were painted by 25 local artists, students of the famouse Mexican
communist artist, Diego Rivera. Scenes range from the busy streets of the
Financial District (with a robbery in progress) to factories and the Central
Valley wheat fields. Seeing the murals you can sense the social commentary.
The work criticizes the economic inequities of life during the Great
Depression, and that made the murals highly controversial when the project
was finished. Many where upset with the work's political content, seeing the
murals as Communist inspired. Responding to pressure the San Francisco Art
Commision delayed the opening of the Coit Tower and considered destroying the
murals. After numerous debates Coit Tower was finally opened to the public in
October 1934. What amazed me is that the murals are remarkable close in
style despite the fact that so many different artists created them.
