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.