Marika Rivera, a notable figure, was born on November 13, 1919, in the vibrant city of Paris, France. Her father, Diego Rivera, a talented artist from Mexico, was then an aspiring Cubist painter, and her mother, Marie Vorobieff, also known as Marevna, was a Russian-born artist. Shortly after Marika's birth, her father left her mother to live with another woman and later married Frida Kahlo.
Young Marika Ribera grew up under the care of her Russian mother, Marevna, and received a comprehensive education in dance and acting. She also had a surrogate father figure in Chaim Soutine, a Russian-Jewish artist, who formed a common-law family with her mother. Together, they resided in the artistic community of La Rouche (The Beehive) in Monparnasse.
Marika married French painter Jean Paul Brusset in 1938, with whom she had a son, Jean Brusset. Her second husband was Rodney Philips, the owner of Athelhampton House in Dorset, England, where she gave birth to her second son, David Philips, in 1949. After the breakdown of her second marriage, Marika lived with her mother and two sons in her own home in suburban London.
Throughout her life, Marika remained involved in the arts, playing bit parts in several films, including the renowned 'The Fiddler on the Roof', an adaptation of 'Tevie the Milkman', a book by Sholom Aleichem. She also attempted a career as a playwright, with her play 'Marika's Cafe Theatre' (1980) being produced by Lyric Studio, Hammersmith, London, in 1980.
Currently, Marika Rivera is living in retirement in a suburb of London, having spent a lifetime embracing her creative passions and building a remarkable life.
