Manuel Alvarez Bravo: Mexico's Master Photographer

The Norton Simon Museum presents Mexico's Master Photographer,  an exhibition of 27 photographs by Manuel Alvarez Bravo (b. 1927). 

For most of his life, Bravo worked quietly and remained little-known outside of Mexico. His name appeared in none of the standard histories of photography, and it was not until 1971 that he was given his first North American retrospective. Now, at age 88, he has come to be recognized as one the the most important photographers of the 20th century, and the father of modern Mexican photography. His vision is rooted in the vivid realities and rich mythologies of his native country. Bravo's subtle, often mysterious images capture many aspects of this multi-dimensional culture, as he deliberately mixes the ancient and the modern, the Mayan and the Christian, the light-hearted and the tragic.