Mankind’s Struggle for a Lasting Peace
This mural, entitled Mankind's Struggle for a Lasting Peace, was one of the first artworks to be installed at the United Nations. In the artist's words, “These symbols cry out, pray, praise and condemn, but altogether they represent the hope of man for achieving peace."" The mural begins with the destruction of a family and ends with its resurrection. Concentration camps, bombings, and all the agony of modern war are symbolized in the painting. In the centre is a gigantic four-armed figure implanting the emblem of the United Nations on a building dome, as mankind reconstructs a war-torn world.
Jose Vela Zanetti (1913 – 1999), from the Dominican Republic, offered to paint a mural in the United Nations during his Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship. It was unveiled on 19 March 1953.
In 1998, the mural was rededicated with remarks from United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and presented to the United Nations by the Dominican Republic and Spain. The Secretary-General said, “It is a testimony to the restoration of hope, the reconciliation of the nations and the resurrection of humankind.” The artist’s son and a few representatives from his hometown of Leon, Spain, attended the ceremony.