Accident in the Air

Anton Refregier was an American muralist and painter whose work in the 1930s and 1940s documented labor history and social struggle through large-scale public commissions. Working primarily in fresco and oil, he created allegorical compositions that celebrated working-class dignity and collective action, often employing a Social Realist visual language. His public murals, particularly those commissioned during the New Deal era, became emblematic of the period's commitment to art as a tool for civic engagement.