Discover Pioneering Mexican Photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo
Mexican photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo was one of Latin America’s emblematic photographers and a figure in artistic and world photography in the 20th century.
“Diego Rivera, Leon Trotsky and André Breton” (1938) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Manuel Álvarez Bravo
Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902-2002) was a pioneer of artistic photography in Mexico, one of Latin America’s emblematic photographers, and is considered one of the 20th century’s foremost representatives of world photography.
María Asúnsolo, ca (1940) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Themes of Bravo’s Works
The themes of Bravo's works allude to the human condition beyond the limits of geographical boundaries.
Xolotl (1967) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Bravo’s Aesthetic
Bravo's aesthetic, both classical and modern, was nourished by the cultural expressions of his native Mexico and influenced by cubism and the possibilities of abstract art as well.
“Color” (“El color”) (1966) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Universal Transcendence
Bravo’s gaze gives a universal transcendence to the specificity of his country by alluding to the condition of man and his surroundings.
Francisco Toledo (1970) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Nature and Humor
Bravo’s works never fail to evoke an emotional response from viewers because of their poetic nature and sense of humor. For many people the works also have an emotive value recalling a by-gone Mexico that is vanishing with time.
Juan Rulfo, ca (1950) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Living Indigenous Cultures
Bravo photographed the wealth of living indigenous cultures found the length and breadth of the country. They're simultaneously heirs of both pre-Hispanic Mexico and Colonial Mexico.
“The Daydreaming” (El ensueño) (1931) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Mixed Race and Revolution
Bravo captured the emergence of a mixed race and the eruption of the Mexican Revolution.
Fire Workers, (Trabajadores del fuego) (1935) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Urban and Rural Mexico
The images reflect urban and rural Mexico from the 1920s to the 1990s. They portray various decisive stages in the country’s industrial development: oil, cement, the development of education, urban and rural workers, etc.
“Coatlicue” (1987) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Archaeological Memory of Mexico
In Bravo’s photos there is testimony of archaeological sites, churches, and convents of New Spain in both rural landscapes, and those cultivated by man. Many of these places have undergone considerable transformation or irreparable destruction.
“Paper Waves” (Ondas de papel) (20th century) by Manuel Álvarez Bravo (1902-2002UNESCO Memory of the World
Modern Architecture
Bravo photographed modern architecture including the founding of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the National Museum of Anthropology and History (INAH).
“Good reputation Sleeping” (La buena fama durmiendo) (1938) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Modern Photography
Bravo’s works form part of the beginning of modern photography in the world through the his own photography in Mexico. It bears witness to several key periods in the history of Mexican art.
“Hommage to Monet” (“Homenaje a Monet”) (1960) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Analogue Photography
Bravo’s work is based on analogue photography - in black and white. He also experimented with color, Polaroid, platinum and palladium prints, and other techniques that preceded gelatin silver. He also explored a range of graphical techniques.
Time Magazine (1999)UNESCO Memory of the World
World Art and Photography
Bravo’s influence on the history of world art and photography cannot be overlooked. His works features in numerous historical publications on world photography. Mexican photography simply cannot be conceived of without Bravo’s works.
“Arm and daisies” (“Brazo con margaritas”) (1950) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Countries Influenced
Bravo’s photography has had a significant impact among art and photography experts as well as the general public in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
Front page of article published in Time Magazine, part 2 (1997)UNESCO Memory of the World
World’s Major Photographic Collections
Bravo’s works are included in many of the world’s major photographic collections the: Getty Museum in Los Angeles, MoMA in New York, George Eastman House in Rochester, Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and Museum of Modern Art in Paris.
“Optical Parable” (Parábola óptica) (1930) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Historical Photography Exhibition
In 1933, Bravo presented the first great historical photography exhibition in Mexico, also one of the first in the world. It was called “Retrospective Photography in The 19th Century” and assessed the medium’s first 30 years.
The washerwomen implied (las lavanderas sobrentendidas) (1932) by Manuel Álvarez BravoUNESCO Memory of the World
Photographic Modernism
In Mexico, Bravo was not only a pioneer of artistic photography but also the creator of photographic modernism. He is one of the medium’s leading figures in Latin America. His works influenced the perspective of numerous authors in Mexico and the world.
Choosing a negative (1983) by Jain KellyUNESCO Memory of the World
Bravo’s Negatives
Bravo’s negatives are an artistic, cultural, historical, and social testimony to the 20th Century in Mexico and illustrating both urban and rural settings. They provide information about Mexico City from the 1920s to the 1990s and numerous regions and population across the country.
Developing the paper (1989) by Jain KellyUNESCO Memory of the World
Manuel Álvarez Bravo Archive
The Archive includes publications and images and represents an invaluable and original testimony to the culture of Mexico for almost the entire 20th Century. Bravo's work was instrumental in persuading Mexico itself to value its precious multifaceted inheritance.
Archive Manuel Álvarez Bravo
