Manuel Alvarez Bravo

Manuel Alvarez Bravo 1902 – 2002 (100 years old!)

Biography • Álvarez Bravo was born in Mexico City on February 4,1902 • Came from a family of artists • Met several prominent artists who encouraged his work as a young boy including Tina Modotti and Diego Rivera • Studied Painting and Music at Academia Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1918 • Received his first camera at the age of 23 • Alvarez became a professional photographer at the age of 25. He was self taught

BIO Continued………… • Photographed his Mexican culture and the growing Mexican Revolution • Considered a surrealist (art that depicts dreams and/or fantasies)

An example of one of his surrealist images

Alvarez frequently photographed inanimate objects in ways that gave them humanistic qualities.

Alvarez Bravo’s work was often political but did not let it overwhelm the personal aspects of his work.

Used a vintage Graflex camera, even though the new Leica 35mm was readily available.

With a career that spanned nearly eighty years, Manuel Alvarez Bravo has long been recognized as one of the foremost figures in the history of photography.

His work has been included in countless exhibitions, including a collection of 187 photos displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Before the MOMA exhibit, many of the works included in it were not seen since their original exhibit in the 1930’s.