Tina Modotti and Edward Weston
The Mexico Years
by Sara Lowe

Hardbound, 11" x 9.5", 160 pages
150 duotone illustration
2004, Merrell Publishers

Tina Modotti and Edward Weston travelled to Mexico in 1923 at the start of an extraordinary period of artistic creativity that became known as the Mexican Renaissance. Although often perceived as being principally embodied by the politically motivated work of Diego Rivera, David Alfaro Siqueiros and José Clemente Orozco, the Mexican Renaissance was shaped by the contribution of dozens of artists, both Mexicans and expatriates, and gave rise to an exceptionally hospitable environment for innovative art-making.

The work Modotti and Weston made in the 1920s marks the beginning of a Modernist photographic aesthetic that left an indelible mark on the history of photography in Mexico. Each contributed to this history individually: Modotti is known for beautiful still-lifes that gave way to Modernist images of Mexican workers and poetic revolutionary icons. Weston’s Pictorialist-influenced imagery was abandoned in favour of sharp, clear, ‘straight’ photographs and an engagement with form. Also included in this exquisitely produced book is a selection of images by two Mexican photographers, Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Mariana Yampolsky, whose work was influenced by these two foreigners.

Published in association with Barbican Art Gallery, London

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