Moving the Unmovable: Insights from Diego Rivera’s Pan American Unity
A recent article by researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) details the transportation of Diego Rivera’s monumental mural, Pan American Unity, and offers comprehensive insight into one of the most rigorous and practical frameworks to date for moving large-scale, vibration-sensitive artworks. You can read the full paper here:
Minimizing Transportation Damage of Murals: Application of Wire Rope Isolators and Real-Time Vibration Monitoring in the Case Study of Diego Rivera’s ‘Pan American Unity’
Being 30 tons, 22x74 feet in scale, and composed of uniquely thin and fragile materials—Rivera’s mural presented an extraordinary challenge when it was extracted from a concrete wall at City College of San Francisco (CCSF) and moved to San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) in 2021. The remarkably difficult project required highly collaborative planning between a diverse set of conservation, engineering, rigging, logistics, and other experts, including the specialized staff of Atthowe Fine Art Services. Besides the usual risks of moving large heavy objects, the mural was particularly vulnerable to vibration, which would have caused irreversible and possibly existential damage.
The UNAM paper highlights an innovative approach used to mitigate the threat posed by vibration: that of combining wire rope isolators with real-time vibration monitoring to reduce risk during extraction and transit. As the researchers note in the case study, the passive wire-rope isolation framework achieved up to −20 dB attenuation in the most critical vibration range, dramatically reducing the energy transmitted to the artwork. Just as importantly, a human-in-the-loop model was employed, where live sensor feedback enabled Atthowe crews to intervene immediately to avoid critical vibration thresholds. From meticulous rigging to careful transport through San Francisco’s complex terrain, our role was to translate in-the-moment data feedback into strategic, practiced, and careful action. Atthowe Fine Art Services is extremely honored and proud to have partnered with numerous experts, multiple specialized providers, CCSF, and SFMOMA in the successful planning and execution of this important project from start to finish.
The paper’s authors emphasize that this hybrid approach of passive isolation combined with real-time alerts and expert on-the-ground interventions is both robust and replicable for institutions and projects worldwide.
Atthowe Fine Art Services’ Head Rigger and Senior Project Manager preparing to move a segment of Diego Rivera’s mural, Pan American Unity, 1940
Looking Ahead
Atthowe Fine Art Services is especially honored to be part of the next chapter, as 2027 is the slated timeframe when we will move the mural once again to its permanent home in CCSF’s new Diego Rivera Theater. The theater will provide a performing arts space that honors the artwork’s importance and legacy, allowing generations of viewers to enjoy the mural both up close in the lobby and from the street level, via the building’s multistory all-glass entry façade.
Learn more about the project here:
Diego Rivera Performing Arts Center City College of San Francisco - LMN Architects
As this next relocation approaches, we’re proud to continue supporting a project that represents the very best of what’s possible when engineering, conservation, and expert art logistics come together.
CCSF’s planned Diego Rivera Theatre, rendered by LMN Architects