At its Aug. 24 Special Meeting, the Cultural Heritage Commission reviewed the historic mural adorning the eastern wall of the infamous swim gym located inside the Konheim Athletic Building at Beverly Hills High School. Painted in 1938 by Argentinian artist Ernesto Scotti, the mural has been long thought of as being created as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) program created under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration.
In the late 1930’s, Scotti had initially traveled to San Francisco to create a mural for the Golden Gate International Exposition held at San Francisco’s Treasure Island, but was subsequently engaged to undertake a project creating a mural in the gym. Made in 1938 on upwards of 30 canvas panels, the piece depicts scenes of ranch and farm life with horses, sheep, and cattle and has been considered as a nod to early agrarian years in Beverly Hills.
