Lola Álvarez Bravo: In Her Own Light

Americas Society presented In her Own Light, an exhibition of some 75 vintage photographs by Lola Álvarez Bravo. A pioneering figure of the modern aesthetic in Mexican art, Álvarez Bravo had recently come to be considered one of the most influential and significant artists in the history of Mexican photography. Working in the tradition established by such photographers as Edward Weston, Tina Modotti, and Paul Strand, Álvarez Bravo’s passionate imagery functioned as an eloquent visual record of life in Mexico in the first part of the twentieth century.

Lola Álvarez Bravo: In Her Own Light was the first significant presentation of the artist’s work in the United States. Although Álvarez Bravo’s six-decade-long career included work as a photojournalist, commercial photographer, and portraitist, it was her personal artistic vision that was represented in the exhibition. These photographs were among those that Álvarez Bravo distinguished from her other work as “mis fotos, mi arte.” The images included scenes that evoked the irony of everyday life, of people carrying on age-old traditions, working, and in worship; as well as landscapes, nature studies, and architectural compositions.

This exhibition was organized by the Center for Creative Photography at The University of Arizona, Tucson. It was curated by Trudy Wilner Stack, the Center’s Curator of Exhibitions and Collections, and James Oles, a scholar of twentieth century Mexican art.

Lola Álvarez Bravo: In Her Own Light was accompanied by an 88-page catalogue published by the Center for Creative Photography. It included 36 reproduction of works by the artist along with a bilingual (English-Spanish) essay by the historian of Mexican photography, Olivier Debroise. The catalogue is available for consultation.

^{Lola Álvarez Bravo: In Her Own Light was made possible by friends of the Americas Society and was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.}