Freeze to defrost! Negating the asset form

Abstract

Frozen Assets is the name of a fresco painted over concrete by Mexican muralist Diego Rivera during last century's Great Depression. Commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the mural is divided into three sections: the composite begins with a top panel depicting a fictional skyline of Manhattan, formed by colossal buildings belonging to, back then, burgeoning financial institutions. The image transitions into the middle section, inside a temporary shelter where a large group of workers sleep on the floor, a cop guarding them. The base of the middle section is the ceiling of a basement. The bottom section is a security vault where three wealthy individuals are waiting behind a metal gate, presumably to deposit their valuable assets in a safe.