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.