A self-taught photographer born in Mexico City, Manuel Alvarez Bravo is considered one of the founders of modern photography and the main representative of Latin American photography in the 20th century. His interest in photography started from very early on in his life as both his father and grandfather were involved with the medium. His first success was a first prize award in a local photographic competition in Oaxaca in 1925. He worked with some of the greatest artists of his time including the muralists Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. His interest in documentary photography started around 1930s as Tina Modotti left him her position in the magazine Mexican Folkways where he worked for a while afterwards. During the late 1930s, he taught photography at the San Carlos Academy where he had studied painting earlier on in his life. From 1943 till 1959, he also worked in the film industry doing still shots and started experimenting with the cinema techniques. During his lifetime, he participated in over 200 collective exhibitions and had over 150 individual exhibitions. He was a groundbreaking artist in his medium and his works have inspired many others in the field of photography. He passed away at the age of hundred.
